Hanging By A Moment
by cartoonstar
Summary: Sequel to Sick Cycle Carousel. After an insane sophomore year the teenagers of Jump City High School are hoping for a better year as juniors, but nothing is ever easy in high school.
1. Junior year starts with a bang

Wally West couldn't be more excited about today as he looked himself over in the mirror. He wanted to look extra special for today. Though some may think of today to be a sad and terrible day Wally couldn't help but smile brightly.

Today was his first day as a junior.

Adolescent times were slipping from his very finger tips and maturity was setting in. He was getting older, wiser...

Wally looked at himself in the mirror one more time and grinned. "Oh yeah. I am looking good... Who's that sexy guy in the mirror? Wally West of course."

"Wally," came the voice of his mother from behind his bedroom door. "Are you finished getting ready? Jenn is downstairs waiting for you."

"I'll be right down," Wally shouted as he looked back at his mirror and made sure his hair looked okay. "Looking good, West... looking good." He snapped his fingers and ran out of his bedroom and down the stairs to find Jenn waiting for him. "Hey, Jenn," he leaned over and planted a small kiss on her lips. He pulled away and smiled. "You look dazzling as always."

Jenn smiled. "You don't look so bad yourself. So, do you mind telling me what took you so long?"

Wally shrugged as he opened the front door to his house for her. "Would you believe me if I said it was a wardrobe malfunction?"

"You were doing that mirror thing again weren't you?"

"Yup."

Jenn laughed and shook her head. "C'mon. We're gonna be late."

---

As a couple of students began their day with a smile, others weren't as jubilant. A perfect example of this was Raven Roth. Normally it didn't take Raven long to force herself out of bed and get ready for school but today she was being stubborn. She had the covers over her head and refused to get up.

Kori placed her hands on her hips and scowled. "Raven, this is ridiculous. You're supposed to be the reasonable one here!"

Raven poked her head out of the blanket and stuck her tongue out. She then covered her head with the blanket.

Kori stomped her foot and let out a frustrated growl. "You did not just stick your tongue out on me." Kori grabbed fist fulls of Raven's blanket and yanked it off of her.

"Kori!"

"Get up and get dressed." Kori ordered.

Raven huffed and rolled on her side while Kori left the room. "When did she get all demanding?"

Kori closed the door to Raven's room and made her way downstairs with a smile on her face. When she arrived downstairs her family was already there, except her father who was at work. Ever since Ryan was born Myan had been taking on the workload while Luan cared for Ryan. Of course this was just temporary.

"Hi, Ryan," Kori said in a baby-talk kind of way. Ryan giggled and smiled, waving his hands trying to grab Kori. Kori stroked his red hair with affection. "He'd getting so big."

"I know," Luan said softly, wearing a smile of her own. "Pretty soon he'll be all grown up..."

"Gee, mom, that's so long from now," Komi said as she walked over to her mother who was sitting down at the kitchen table while Ryan in his highchair right beside her. "Let's think about the present shall we? Like me being a senior!"

"I have never seen you this happy about something that concerns school." said Luan as she picked up Ryan.

"I know but now that I'm a senior my high school life is almost over," said Komi with a grin on her face. "I'll be in college in no time."

"Let's think about the present shall we." reminded Luan as she handed Ryan over to Kori so she could start working on the dishes in the sink.

"What ever," Komi said as she grabbed her car key's off the kitchen counter. "I'm off to go pick up Donna."

With that said Komi left the room and headed towards the front door. A few seconds later after her departure Dick walked through the door.

"Knock, knock," he said sheepishly, tapping the wall before walking in the kitchen. "Komi let me in." Dick turned his head to the side. "Morning, Mrs. Anders."

"Good morning, Dick," Luan said, spearing him a glance and smiling at him. "Remember, it's alright for you to call me Luan."

Dick nodded. "Right."

"Dick, hey," Kori said standing up and walking towards him. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to pick you and Raven up for school," he said while caressing her cheek and planting a soft, gentle kiss on her lips. He pulled away and smiled. Dick turned his attention to the child in Kori's arms. "Hey, Ryan. High five!"

Ryan giggled madly and slapped Dick's hand using both of his hands. Dick smiled and took Ryan from Kori's arms. During the summer Kori and Dick had done a lot of babysitting for Ryan and Dick had gotten very attached to the youngest of the Anders children, something that Kori would frequently tease him about. And even though she teased him about it, Kori loved that part of Dick. It was a positive look for their future. Besides, Dick assured her that she would always remain his number one for favorite Anders child.

"Shouldn't you be leaving now, Kori," asked Luan. "School will be starting soon."

"You're right," Kori stepped to the door in the kitchen which was near the stairs. "Raven, if you don't hurry up we'll leave without you!" Kori turned to Dick. "Ready to go?"

Dick nodded and put Ryan back in his highchair. "Bye Luan. See you later, Ryan."

Ryan ignored Dick and was more focused on the colorful pattern which was printed on his bottle. Dick chuckled and followed Kori out of the kitchen and to the foyer where he stood by the front door.

"So, you ready for junior year?" Dick asked, glancing at Kori.

"After all the drama that happened last year," said Kori. "Not a chance." She took Dick's hand in her own and smiled affectionally at him. "But at least this time we're together."

"Yeah," he said softly. "And this time nothing is going to separate us."

He ran his fingers up her arm and up to her face, his thumb stroking her cheek. Just when he was about to lean in he stopped due to a coughing sound. Dick sighed and turned his head to see Raven standing there.

Raven smiled sheepishly and waved. "Hi."

"Of course. Now she gets up." Kori said as she opened the door and walked outside. Raven began to follow Kori out as well, Dick failing in line behind them.

"Lovely weather for the start of junior year huh, Raven." Dick said absently as they walked over to his car.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Shove it up your ass, Grayson."

Dick paused in his walk and chuckled. "Well, someone's cranky."

---

Roy stood idly outside of the front door to Jade's house after ringing the doorbell. He looked up at the cloud's and sighed. "What a drag."

Like most students, Roy was wishing he didn't have to go to school. If it was up to him he would have chosen for summer to last another two months. At the thought of summer a goofy grin spread across Roy's face. After suffering during his sophomore year karma worked it's magic and granted him a carefree summer, all of which he spent with Jade.

Jade... he smiled at the thought of her. They certainly got a lot closer during the summer. But during these past few weeks Roy noticed that him and Jade were a bit strained.

Roy shook his head. "It's probably all in my imagination," he told himself. "She's probably just irritated that school is starting again." Roy nodded his head, positive that was the answer.

He pulled out his cell phone from his jean pocket to check the time. He rarely wore a watch these days since he had given his father's watch to Jade. His father's watch was precious to him, as was Jade. Roy's eyes bugged out when he saw the time on his cell phone. Roy knocked on the door one more time, wondering what was keeping Jade. Surely it wasn't some wardrobe malfunction, that was more of Wally's style as strange it sounds.

The door opened and Jade stepped out, looking a bit pale. Roy was too happy to see her to even notice. He opened his arms wide and smiled. "There's my girl. How about a--"

"Roy, could you stop flirting for one minute please," Jade snapped. "My mom is still home you know. Now come on, we have to get to school."

She walked past him and went straight to his car, Roy following in a slower pace behind her with his eyes cast on the ground and hurt splashed across his face.

"I just wanted a hug..." he mumbled quietly to himself, sounding a bit sad.

---

The car ride in Vic's car was a lively one. Riding in Vic's car was him, Karen, Alain and Toni. The four chatted with enthusiasm, each one of them excited to start the new year of school. As of right now the four of them were reminiscencing on their summer vacation.

"I swear, it took me forever to drag Alain away from that beach." Toni said as she finished telling Karen and Vic about her summer vacation with Alain.

Karen giggled. "Vic's the same way with this burger restaurant."

"You do realize we're in the car," said Vic. "Don't you?"

The girls laughed again and the boys grunted in response.

"Thanks again for the ride to school, Vic," said Alain. "Me and Toni really appreciate it."

Vic shrugged indifferently. "No problem man."

"Hey, where's Gar at," Toni asked, suddenly noticing the green-haired teen's absence. "Doesn't he usually ride to school with you guys?"

"He does but...," Vic smirked. "Just wait and see."

The others rose curious eyebrows and looked at each other, each one of them wondering what Vic meant. The car began to slow up and eventually came to a stop. Vic smiled broadly.

"We're here!" he announced.

They all stepped out of the car and gazed up at the school.

"Wow... it's just like I remember it." Karen said.

"Yeah, I know," Toni said in agreement. She scrunched up her nose. "You think they would have given it a paint job or something."

Before the others could respond a horn beeped at them. They turned their heads to the side, expecting to see a car coming into the school parking lot. Instead, the beep came from a white moped that parked itself in the space right next to Vic's car. The person riding the moped removed his helmet to reveal a pair of green eyes and hair.

Gar smiled up at his friends. "Hey guys, what's up?"

Alain rose a brow. "What is that?" he asked, pointing at the vehicle Gar was sitting on.

"It's my new moped," Gar said proudly, stroking the front of his vehicle when he got off. "My parents got it for me over the summer. Pretty cool isn't it?"

"Dorky is more I like it." Toni muttered to Alain who nodded in agreement.

"Well... it's very... you," Karen said to Gar. "Congrats."

"I'm sure Raven will love it." Vic said with a satisfied smirk. Due to his comment Karen, Toni and Alain laughed while Gar blushed a deep shade of red and looked away.

"Shut up." Gar muttered.

"Who should shut up?" Jenn asked as she stepped up to the group with Wally by her side, having just arrived.

Vic chuckled. "Grass stain here is just upset that I made a crack about his little cru--"

"Vic, shut up!" Gar yelled as he jumped on Vic's back and wrapped him in a headlock, cutting off Vic's sentence.

The two fell to the ground where they continued to wrestle with each other, the others watching them in amusement.

"Shouldn't we stop them." Wally asked after a long pause, looking up at the others.

"Nah," Karen shook her head. "This is too funny to stop now."

---

With Gar and Vic's fight over and done with the small group of friends proceeded inside and walked the halls of Jump City High School. When they went to go retrieve their schedules they ran into Dick, Kori, Raven, Jade and Roy. Since they were all together they opened their schedules at the same time. They were all pleased to see they shared lunch, gym and US history together at the same time. Kori was observing her schedule when it was suddenly pulled from her hands. She turned around, ready to demand her schedule back until she saw just who had it in their hand. Kori's face went from anger, to surprise and then to joy in less than five seconds.

"Xavier," she cried, flinging herself into his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"The feeling is mutual, cutie." Xavier said softly, rubbing his hand up and down her back with affection.

Dick began a coughing fit and the two separated. Kori pulled away from Xavier sheepishly and stepped to the side so she was standing besides Dick. The others stood behind them, watching with curious eyes. Anytime Dick and Xavier were together made good entertainment for the others. For an extended period of silence all Xavier and Dick did was stare at each other. Red eyes clashing with blue eyes. The tension was suffocating and Kori made a small noise, breaking the silence.

"So, Xavier, what do you have first period?" Kori asked.

"US history."

Kori's face brightened with a smile. "That's what we have. We can all walk to class together."

"You sure I wouldn't be imposing?"

"No, not at all," Dick answered, surprising everyone. "We're all friends aren't we."

Xavier smiled a small, almost unnoticeable smile, and nodded.

"Well that was a complete waste of time," droned Raven as she began to walk away. "I'm going to class."

"Raven's right," Gar said as he fell in step behind her. "I thought they would at least fight or something."

The others voiced their agreements, following Raven and Gar, leaving Xavier, Kori and Dick behind.

Kori smiled at Xavier and Dick. "I think it's great that you two have been getting along. It really makes me happy." She smiled once more before following the others, leaving Dick and Xavier in silence.

"Nice acting, Grayson," said Xavier. "For a minute there I almost believed you."

"You weren't so bad yourself for a criminal." Dick said coldly.

"From the mouth of a filthy playboy." Xavier snapped back.

"Ex-playboy."

Dick and Xavier glared at each other. During the summer the two had reached an understanding. They hated each other but around Kori they would put their dislike to the side to make her happy. Kori was important to both of them and if they had to play nice with each other in front of others than so be it. The two glared at each other for about five more seconds before turning away and catching up with the others.

The walk to class was a short one and Dick, Kori and the others got to class with time to spare. They took seats in the front of the room, Dick and Xavier sitting on either side of Kori. Gar pulled out a seat for Raven and he grinned at her. Raven, however, merely rose a brow and sat on the seat next to the one Gar pulled out for her. Gar scowled for a quick second and sat in the seat he offered to her, resting his head and arms on the desk with a grumpy look on his face. Vic and Karen shook their heads and took the seats behind them with Jenn, Wally, Toni and Alain sitting as coupled pairs to either side of them. Jade took the last seat next to Jenn instead of going for the two free seats in the front. Roy stood by her desk for a moment before he sighed and took the seat in front of her.

Kori took a brief moment to look around the classroom, spotting some old familiar faces as well as some new ones. That's when she spotted the worst, in her opinion, person ever to have walked the halls of Jump City High School.

Kitten Moth chatted animatedly with her two best friends Mandy and Cindy. For a moment her eyes seemed to sparkle with merriment until her eyes flicked towards Kori and her friends. Upon spotting them her eyes took a darker hue which could be considered almost evil. Kori looked away but Kitten continued to glare.

"I wonder what our new teacher will be like." Wally said.

"As long as our new teacher is nothing like Mr. Mod I'll be happy," said Karen as she relaxed in her chair. The door opened and she turned her head to see who it was. She gasped, her eyes going wide in disbelief. "Oh shit..."

A chuckle escaped the lips of the British teacher with cherry red hair as he entered the room. "Ms. Beecher, you know how I feel about language in my classroom." Mr. Mod said with a smirk as he stepped in front of the class.

"Hold on just a second," said Vic, narrowing his eyes as he raised his schedule. "The schedule says Mr. Neil is supposed to be our teacher."

"Mr. Neil hit the lotto and quit," Mr. Mod said. "I, on the other hand, was granted a promotion with higher pay..." Mr. Mod smiled at this and looked at his class. "Which means you all have my for another year!"

"NOOOO!" Gar bellowed and others gasped. Mr. Mod was the teacher from hell. No one wanted him for another year.

Mr. Mod laughed sinisterly. "Oh yes!"

The room dipped into silence and one student began to cry over his misfortune.

---

The junior class was relieved when lunch time finally came. The other teachers they had weren't so bad but just having Mr. Mod for first period made them exhausted. Dick, Kori, Vic, Karen, Gar, Raven, Jade, Roy, Wally, Jenn, Alain and Toni all sat at one table. Xavier had departed earlier to go sit with his friends.

"I can't believe we have _him_ again..." Dick said bitterly, having never really liked Mr. Mod.

"This so sucks." Toni said, crossing her arms with a scowl on her face.

"It could be worst." Wally said, trying to relieve some of the tension.

"How?" Raven asked dryly, sparing Wally a glance as she looked up from her book. Wally paused for a minute and opened his mouth only to close it again. He sighed, not having an answer to her question.

"Let's just enjoy our lunch," said Alain. "Shall we?"

"I'm with Alain," Vic said, grabbing his burger. "Let's eat!"

They all grabbed their lunch and began to chow down except for Jade who seemed rather uncomfortable and had her arms wrapped around herself. Roy looked to the side and saw that she wasn't eating. He instantly became concerned.

"Jade, is something wrong?" he asked softly. Everyone seated at the table dipped into silence due to his question and looked at the couple.

"Nothing's wrong," Jade said looking away from him. "I'm just not hungry."

"You sure? You've been acting weird for--"

"Roy! I said I'm fine!" Jade snapped, glaring at him.

"Hey, I'm just worried about you," Roy said as he let the frustration consume him. He was tired of Jade's attitude. "You've been acting like a whinny little bitch for the last couple of weeks and all I've done is been nice to you."

Jade glared at him and stood up. Roy flinched thinking she was going to hit him but all she did was walk away from the table.

Roy blinked and called after her. "Jade... Jade! Don't you walk away from me!... Come back here," Roy yelled. Jade continued to walk away and Roy was beginning to realize that she wasn't listening to his demands. "Jade...go cool off!" His last sentence was an attempt to make it look like he had control over the situation when in fact he didn't. Roy turned back to look at the others and saw they were all staring at him.

"Well...," Karen began dryly. "That went well."

"I'm gonna go after her." Jenn said as she stood up and left as well.

Kori slapped Roy behind his head. "You idiot. You better apologize to Jade next time you see her."

"But--"

"You better listen to her dude," Gar said with an amused smile. "Or else you'll have to face the fury of a bunch of girls defending their friend."

Meanwhile, Jenn was hot on Jade's trail. She turned the corner and spotted someone walking down the hall. She asked that person if she had seen Jade. The girl said yes and pointed at the girl's bathroom. Jenn said a quick thank you and walked inside the girl's bathroom, only to see that it was completely empty. Just as she was about walk out she heard a sniffle. It was faint but Jenn knew who it belonged to. She closed the bathroom door and turned around.

"Alright, Jade, come on out. I know you're there."

There was a pause before one of the bathroom stall doors opened and Jade stepped out, her face slightly pink due to crying.

"Aw, Jade," Jenn said softly as she wrapped her friend in a hug. "It's okay. Roy didn't mean what he said. He's just frustrated."

"I'm not crying because of what Roy said...," Jade said as she pulled away and wiped her eyes. "I've been taking my frustrations out on him... I had it coming."

"I would be lying if I said you didn't."

Both Jade and Jenn giggled at this.

"Alright," Jenn began, turning serious. "Do you mind telling me what's wrong?"

Jade shifted uncomfortably and looked down at the floor. "It's... It's complicated."

"Hey, whatever it is you can tell me. Best friends forever," Jenn reminded her with a kind smile. "You can trust me."

Jade considered her words. What Jenn was telling her was true. Perhaps it was time to reveal this secret that she had been hiding. It was getting harder and harder every day to keep this secret locked up inside her. It would help if she had a friend by her side.

Jade double checked the bathroom to make sure it was only Jenn and herself. All was clear. They were alone. Jade looked up at Jenn and for a minute Jenn knew something big was coming. She just hoped it wasn't illegal.

A moment of silence passed until Jade began to speak.

"Jenn... I'm pregnant."

-----------------------------

**HOW'S THAT FOR HIGH SCHOOL DRAMARAMA?**

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	2. Dirty little secret

An outbreak of complete shock swept through Jenn's body as Jade's words echoed and bounced around her. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. Jade, pregnant? That seemed so surreal and Jenn couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it.

Jenn blinked and took control of her breathing. She looked at Jade and Jade looked back at her. Nothing needed to be said, the two friends could read each other like a open book. What Jade said was true. She really was pregnant.

Crap.

Jenn didn't know what to say, her mind felt like a carousel that wouldn't stop spinning. She brought a hand to her forehead and ran her fingers through her hair, pushing her bangs away from her face. She looked at Jade once more.

"H-how? How did this happen?"

Jenn wanted to slap herself. Of course she _knew _how it happened. She learned all about that kind of stuff during life class when she was freshman.

"Do you really want me to go into details, Jenn?" Jade asked as she shifted in her spot, wishing she could just become invisible.

"I know, that was a very stupid question but... I mean... didn't you use, you know, protection?" Jenn asked quietly, suddenly feeling awkwardness poke at her. Then again who could blame her, this wasn't the everyday normal type of conversation. Her best friend since for like, ever, was pregnant.

"I used protection..."

Jenn sighed with relief. Little did she know Jade wasn't done.

"... the second time."

Jenn's eyes popped out wide like saucers. "The first time? How many fucking times did you do it?!"

"Jenn! Language," Jade scolded. "And do you mind lowering your voice."

"Sorry... I just..."

"I only had sex twice. The first time I wasn't responsible but the second I made sure there was a condom present."

The bathroom became silent and a question suddenly blurted out of Jenn's mouth.

"So... you had sex with Roy... right?"

Jade glared at Jenn. "No, I did it with Justin Timberlake," she said sarcastically. "Come on, Jenn, who do you think? Of course it was with Roy."

Something clicked inside Jenn's mind. "It was during that romantic getaway you two went to in July wasn't it?"

Jade forgot her trouble for a split second and nodded. "Yeah. It just felt right you know? Everything was so perfect and I was ready and he was ready..."

"And you didn't tell me," Jenn mocked being hurt. "I'm appalled."

Jade giggled. "Oh shut up. It was our first time and we didn't want to brag about it so we decided to keep it a secret."

"And the second time?"

"What can I say," Jade replied with a shrug. "My cell phone was off."

"Okay, all joking aside," Jenn said with a serious and concerned voice. "How was it? He didn't force you or anything? You didn't get hurt did you?"

"No, it was perfect...," Jade said softly as she thought back to the memory. "I mean, the first time it kinda hurt a little but after that--"

"Okay, wow! Too much info!"

"Well you asked." Jade while rolling her eyes.

"You could have just said yes or no," Jenn said. The room dipped into silence once more and Jenn focused her eyes on Jade's flat stomach. "How far are you?"

Jade sighed before answering the question. "About a month I think."

"A month," Jenn hissed. "Jade, you've been keeping this a secret for a month?"

Tears began to form in Jade's eyes and she wiped them away. "I didn't know how to tell you... I didn't know how to tell anyone..."

Jade wiped her eyes again and cursed out loud because she didn't have any control over her tears. She slid to the floor and brought her knees to her chest and hid her face. Jenn couldn't bare to see her friend in such a state. Jenn walked over to Jade and sat down next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling the crying girl's head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Jenn said quietly. "I didn't mean to."

"I know," Jade said softly, wiping her eyes. "I'm just scared. I'm afraid of what my parents are gonna say..." Jade sighed. It felt good to pour out her feelings but it was still hard to talk about this.

"Have you decided what you are going to do?" Jenn asked as she stroked Jade's hair, hoping that would help calm her down some.

"Not completely," Jade mumbled. "I don't want to have an abortion and the thought of giving away my baby to strangers is terrifying me to a point where I can't even sleep at night. I'm so confused. I don't know what to do."

"It'll be alright, Jade," Jenn said softly. "I promise. I'll be right there with you the entire way."

Jade looked up completely awestruck. "You... you will?"

Jenn smiled. "Duh, of course I will. Best friends forever remember," Jenn looked at the wall and leaned her head back. "Besides... I am the aunt aren't I? It's my job to look after both the mommy and the baby."

"Jenn...," Jade didn't know what to say. This whole time she felt as if she was alone and when she would think about the future she pictured herself alone with her child. Knowing that Jenn would be there for her and her baby filled Jade with a warm sense of relief and happiness. It eased some of the stress she had been feeling. "Thank you."

"Okay now, this is getting too mushy for me," Jenn joked as she stood up and helped Jade to her feet. "We still have a whole day's left of school to survive so come on, big smile."

Jade giggled, unable to help herself.

Jenn smiled and then frowned. "Jade, there's one more question I have to ask you and I'm hoping you'll be honest with me."

"Of course, Jenn," said Jade. After everything that's happened there was no point in lying now. "What is it?"

"Does Roy know?"

Jade froze and looked away, biting her lip. Jenn sighed, knowing by Jade's actions she didn't tell Roy about her being pregnant.

"You're going to have to tell him," Jenn said sternly. "He's the father and he had a right to know the truth."

"I know... Believe me I know...," Jade said quietly, her fingers absently rubbing the band of gold and silver belonging to the watch Roy gave her. "I just don't know how to tell him. I'm afraid of what his reaction will be. Jenn, what if he hates me?" Jade rested her hand on her stomach. "What if he rejects the baby?"

"Then I'll kick his ass and raise the baby with you," Jenn said, placing her hands on her hips and being completely serious. "Either way you still have to tell him and soon."

Jade nodded, knowing that even if she wanted to she couldn't disobey Jenn's order. Jenn placed a comforting hand on Jade's shoulder.

"There's still more we need to talk about but for right now we'll tackle one problem at a time," Jenn said softly. "Okay?"

Jade nodded. "Okay."

They stepped out of the bathroom and into the empty hallway. Jade looked at her watch and checked the time. Seeing as it was almost time for the next class Jade and Jenn decided they would start on their way to class. Before the two could even make a single step they heard someone calling out to them. Or, to be more specific, Roy calling out for Jade.

Jade blinked in surprise to see Roy running over to her. "Roy--"

Before she could utter another word he had his arms wrapped around tight, as if he never wanted to let go.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," he apologized, not noticing her cringe at the word baby. It was a normal pet name he had given her but it felt weird to her now. "I never meant to yell. I was just frustrated. I didn't mean anything I said, honest. Please forgive me."

Jade wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have snapped at you. Forgive me?"

Roy chuckled and pulled away so they were looking at each other but he kept his arms wrapped around her. "Can I just kiss you now?"

Jade hesitated but when she looked at Roy and his lips she couldn't help but close the distance between them.

---

It was the last period of the day. Finally. Almost all of the students were relieved. Those that were considered nerds wished the school day would be just a little longer. Kori and Raven were apart of the group that was happy that the day was almost over. They made their way over to their final period class, English. So far their day had been almost perfect but all that was about to change due to a nasty turn.

Literally.

Kori and Raven turned the corner and when they did they saw three people who they weren't really fond of.

Kitten glared at Kori. Mandy and Cindy, who stood behind Kitten, glared at Raven.

"Kori." Kitten said tartly.

"Kitten." Kori said distastefully.

They stood in silence, still glaring at each other.

"Bitch."

"Slut."

Kitten gasped and gritted her teeth. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and stalked inside the classroom, Mandy and Cindy following closely behind.

Kori sighed. "Another class with Kitten." she said bitterly as she walked inside with Raven right behind her.

Kori and Raven made sure to take seats in the front of the room, far away from Kitten and her two friends who took seats in the back.

Kori rested her chin in the palm of her hand and looked over at Raven. "So, are you enjoying junior year so far?"

"No," Raven answered dryly, pulling out a book from her bag. "You?"

"Well I was until out little run in with Kitten and her group of traveling skanks."

Raven flicked her eyes towards Kori with serious regard. "Wanna talk about it?"

"No," Kori shook her head. "Not really."

Raven shrugged and went back to her book. If something was bothering Kori then she would find out sooner or later. But judging by Kori's carefree attitude at the moment she couldn't tell if something was on the red-head's mind. Kori certainly was becoming better at hiding her emotions.

The door opened and Mr. Wilson stepped in. All whispering in the class immediately died down. Mr. Wilson slowly stepped inside and stood at the front of the class, his hands behind his back. His good eye, the one not covered by his eyepatch, flicked towards Raven who still had her nose in her book. It wasn't that Raven didn't notice Mr. Wilson's presence, it was just that she didn't care. Mr. Wilson narrowed his eye at her and snatched her book away from her unsuspecting fingers. He closed the book and placed it on the table behind him.

"I have an announcement to make," he said sounding stoical, ignoring Raven who glared at him and crossed her arms. "Your new English teacher is the nephew of a very close friend of mines. You will treat him with respect. Now, he is twenty-four years old and new to the teaching world but if he fails to discipline you don't think I won't. I want nothing but good reports. Understood?"

The class muttered a response which was good enough for Mr. Wilson.

Mr. Wilson turned his head towards the door. "You may come in now."

The door opened and the new English teacher walked in. The class turned their heads to see who the new teacher. Raven rolled her eyes and looked as well, expecting to see some fat, old, bald man.

How wrong was she...

The man that walked into the classroom was anything but bald, old or fat. He was gorgeous. His well built body complimented his pale skin and soft crystal blue eyes. His light blonde hair looked white and passed his shoulders. His warm smile seemed to just make him glow.

At least that's what Raven thought.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from him. How could someone so good looking be a teacher?

"Everyone," Mr. Wilson began. "This is Leon Malchoir. He'll be your teacher for the rest of your junior year."

"I'm pleased to be here, Mr. Wilson," Mr. Malchoir turned towards the class and smiled, flashing his pearly whites. "And I am pleased to be the teacher of this class."

"You won't be for long," muttered Mr. Wilson, casting a nasty look at the students. "I trust you can handle things from here?"

"Of course."

Mr. Wilson nodded. "Good."

With that said Mr. Wilson left the room, closing the door behind him.

Mr. Malchoir turned towards the class and chuckled sheepishly. "Not the nicest guy around is he?"

The students laughed, Raven included.

Kori elbowed Raven, whispering to her. "He seems nice. I bet he'll be a better teacher than Mr. Mod."

Raven gave a short nod in agreement, her eyes still watching Mr. Malchoir.

Mr. Malchoir leaned back a bit, resting his hands on the desk. He was prepared to speak but his hand came in contact with something. Curious as to what it was he grabbed it and brought it before him.

"The Raven and other poems...," Mr. Malchoir looked up. "Does this book belong to anyone here."

The class remained silent and some students looked towards Raven.

Raven shyly lifted her hand. "It's mine."

Mr. Malchoir smiled and handed her back her possession. "That's an excellent book you have there..." he trailed off, not knowing her name.

"It's Raven. Raven Roth."

"Lovely name. Are you a fan of poetry, Raven?" Mr. Malchoir asked.

Raven nodded. "I practically live and breath poetry."

"As do I," Mr. Malchoir smiled and turned away, going behind the desk and grabbing a piece of chalk. "Which brings us to our first topic. Poetry." Mr. Malchoir continued to speak and the class obediently listened.

Raven smiled, high school just got a whole lot better.

---

The school bells never sounded more beautiful to the ears of Roy. Words couldn't express the happiness that was coursing through him right now. Not only was the school day officially over but the afternoon was just beginning, which meant him and Jade would have some alone time. Right before lunch ended Jade had said that she wanted to come over to his house, saying that it was very _important_.

Now he may have misjudged the meaning of those words when Jade said them to him but the hormones in him couldn't help but run wild at times with hopeful imagination.

Roy gathered his things and was ready to walk out the door so he could go meet Jade in the school's parking lot but Wally and Alain stopped him.

"Hey, Roy," Alain said as he stepped besides the carrot-top teenager. "Where are you off to in such a rush?"

"I'm going to meet Jade." Roy replied tonelessly as he tried to keep a straight face.

"Really," Wally began curiously. "What for?"

"We're just gonna hang out," Roy shrugged indifferently. "The normal stuff."

"Oh," was all Alain said, thinking there was more than what Roy was leading on. After a long pause he spoke again. "You know a bunch of us are gonna go out for pizza. You and Jade should come along."

Roy shook his head no. "Nah. I think Jade and I just need some time for ourselves. I actually got her to smile at me for the first time in days today. She's been real moody lately and I think if I spend some alone time with her she'll feel better."

"Are you sure she isn't moody because... you know..." Wally trailed off, looking away from Roy.

"Because of what," Roy asked, stopping. "Wally, do you know something that I don't?"

"No," Wally answered quickly. "I just think she has that... you know, monthly visitor." Wally whispered. "You know when Jenn gets hers she can be real scary some times cursing up a storm."

Roy patted Wally's back. "That's because your girlfriend is crazy."

"Hey! My girlfriend is _not _crazy," Wally paused for a brief minute in thought. "A little overbearing but defiantly not crazy."

---

The pizza parlor was more lively than ever before now that the students of Jump City High School were back. Of course business was well during the summer but when school was in action business always seemed to boom. Today was an example of that. Kori, Dick, Wally, Jenn, Vic, Karen, Toni, Alain, Gar and Raven all filled the pizza parlor.

"I want pepperoni."

"Dude, no way. I don't eat meat."

"You don't eat anything. That's why your so skinny."

"Karen, please get your boyfriend under control before they go at it."

"Can we order already? I'm hungry."

"We should have gone for Chinese food. That's always faster."

"Or a McDonalds... mmm, McDonalds."

"Okay guys, like, seriously, we need to order right now before I get evil."

Vic, Karen, Gar, Raven, Alain, Toni, Wally and Jenn continued to bicker with each other. Kori giggled in amusement.

Dick rested his head in the nape of Kori's neck and breathed in her scent, feeling completely at ease. "We should have ditched them." he whispered.

"And miss all this," she said as she ran her fingers through his hair and massaged his scalp. "Not a chance."

"Promise me after this we can have some alone time."

"A bag of marshmallows at your house?"

"Sounds perfect." Dick said before kissing her neck and moving upward to nibble on her ear.

Kori giggled and made no move to stop him. She loved Dick when he was like this, when he actually expressed his emotions and wasn't as flirty. He was just sweet and Kori found that so adorable.

"Okay, enough," Kori said with a smile as she raised his head away from her neck. "My lips need some attention."

Dick chuckled. "Your wish is my command..." Dick said softly as he moved in closer to close the gap between them.

Unfortunately fate liked to slap Dick around as if he was a ping pong ball.

The door to the pizza parlor opened and in stepped Xavier with Billy, Micheal and Seemore walking right behind him. Kori's eyes diverted from Dick to Xavier.

"Xavier," she called happily, waving at him and forgetting all about the kiss Dick and her were just about to share. "Over here!"

Xavier smiled. "Hey cutie," he greeted coolly as he stood by her table. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Oh yeah, me and others all wanted pizza," Kori said. She smiled brightly. "Do you guys wanna sit with us?"

Xavier smirked when he saw the look on Dick's face when Kori asked that. It was the kind of look a person gave off when they were feeling a mixture of uncomfortable and anger. Xavier quickly agreed and pulled up a seat next to Kori, much to Dick's displeasure. Right about now all Dick wanted to do was pick a fight with Xavier but he knew he couldn't, not with Kori sitting right there. The only thing Dick could do was silently scowl in his seat.

Seemore took a seat next to Jenn and he blushed when his shoulder brushed against hers. He smiled at her but one scathing look from Wally let him know not to do it again. Micheal and Billy sat quietly to the side of Xavier.

The once animated table of talkative teenagers changed to a group of silence and awkward glances.

The man at the front called out that their order was finally ready.

"Oh thank God!" Toni said loudly as she stood up to go get the pizza. Anything was better than sitting down at that table. Karen felt that way too and so she went with Toni to go retrieve their pizza.

"Hey, Karen," Toni said in a hushed tone as she past a glance towards the tables they were sitting at. "What's the deal with Kori and Xavier? I never really understood those two."

"They're just really good friends." Karen answered absently as she counted the money.

"If you ask me there seems to be something there between Kori and Xavier."

"How so?" Karen questioned, ready to jump to Kori's defense if necessary.

"Just look," Toni said as she pointed towards the group which some how managed to find conversation. Dick was silently fuming with his arms crossed and Kori was playfully messing up Xavier's hair. "I think I see a love triangle."

Karen laughed.

"Hey," Toni stomped her foot. "I'm being serious."

"Trust me, Toni," Karen began. "There is no love triangle. And even if there was it wouldn't matter. Kori's in love with Dick. She only sees Xavier as a friend. There was a lot of times when Xavier was there for Kori when Dick wasn't and during those times Kori and Xavier formed a tight friendship. But nothing can compare to Kori's love for Dick."

"Hey! If you two keep chatting all day we'll never get our pizza!" Wally shouted.

Rolling their eyes the two girls made their way back to the two tables that had been filled due to the group's presence. Toni and Karen put the two plates of pizza on the table and hands immediately lunged for a slice. Dick however remained with his arms crossed and a frown glued to his face, something that didn't go unnoticed by Kori.

"Would you excuse us for a few seconds." Kori said to the others as she grabbed Dick's hand and pulled him to his feet. She dragged him out the door away from prying eyes.

Away from everyones but Karen's.

No sooner than those two left Karen excused herself and went to go follow them. She opened the door to the pizza parlor and poked her head out. Karen smiled at what she saw.

Dick had his arms wrapped tightly around Kori's waist and Kori had her's wrapped around his neck. The two were in a passionate lip lock and had no signs of ending it anytime soon. About thirty seconds later the two broke the kiss and Kori pulled Dick into a hug, letting his head rest in the nape of her neck.

Karen smiled and stepped back inside. She was positive that those two would be just fine this year.

---

Roy pushed the door open for Jade and allowed her to walk in first, bowing down. "M'lady."

Jade chuckled halfheartedly. Usually when Roy offered special treatment like that she would respond with an enthusiastic giggle but with the truth weighing down on her shoulders she found it hard to laugh.

Roy rose and blinked in surprise at her reaction. "Is something wrong babe? I thought you loved this kind of stuff."

"I do," Jade assured him, taking his hand in her own and rubbing his knuckles with her thumb. "I do. But I really just want to talk to you right now."

"Okay, whatever you want," Roy said as he put a hand on her hip and lead her towards the living room. "You thirsty or anything? I can make a quick run to the kitchen if you want."

"No, I'm okay," Jade said softly as she sat on the couch. She paused and looked around momentarily. "Is... Is Ollie home?" Jade asked hesitantly. There was no way she could tell Roy what she wanted to tell him knowing that Ollie could pop up at any time.

"No, Ollie's at work," Roy said as he plopped down on to the couch besides Jade, throwing his arm around her shoulders. He smiled cheekily at her. "So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

Jade wished she had Roy's luxury right about now. He seemed so carefree and cheerful, she felt distraught knowing that what she was about to tell him would turn both their worlds upside down. Jade could feel the nerves inside her building up and the fact that Roy's eyes were focused on her didn't help.

"Jade," Roy began softly, cupping her chin and gently turning her face towards him. "You know you can tell me anything right?"

Jade's eyes softened a bit and she relaxed, nodding her head at him. She took his hand in hers and squeezed, as if wanting to draw strength from him.

"Roy," Jade began, her eyes locked on his while she spoke. "... I'm pregnant."

Roy fainted.

--------------------------

**NEXT CHAPTER: ROY'S REACTION.**

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	3. This will be our year

The last thing that came to Roy's mind was Jade. They were on the couch and Jade said she had important news to tell him. She said she was pregnant. Those words automatically hit an off button in Roy's mind and he fainted. But now, as his mind slowly drifted back into work he told himself that couldn't be true. It was all just one crazy messed up dream.

That's when a soft voice began to call out to him. Roy instantly recognized who's voice was speaking to him. It was Jade. As Roy slowly blinked his eyes open Jade's face came into view.

"Roy," Jade began softly. "Are you okay?"

Roy moaned a bit as he sat himself up straight. He was spread out on the couch with Jade sitting besides his waist.

"I'm okay," he said as he ran his hand through his hair. "I had this real crazy dream that you said you were pregnant." Roy chuckled. "Could you imagine. I'm glad that was just a dream."

"Roy," Jade looked away from. "It wasn't a dream... I really am pregnant."

The room instantly fell into silence.

Roy looked away as well, his eyes fixed on his hands. "Oh..."

Jade looked at him, surprise written all over her face. "That's all you have to say? All you have to say is 'oh'?"

"What am I supposed to say?" Roy said a bit bitterly.

"I don't know," Jade said, ignoring the tone of voice he used. The last thing they needed was to argue again. "But anything would have been better than 'oh'."

"Well I don't know what else to say," Roy said as he pulled his legs off the couch so his feet was touching the floor. "I'm feeling a bit more than overwhelmed right now."

"Roy, I know you're shocked and believe me when I found out so was I." Jade said softly as she placed her hand on top of his.

Her sudden words brought something to Roy's attention. Roy turned to her with a serious regard as his facial features. "How long have you known?"

Jade suddenly didn't have the heart to look him in the eye anymore. "I... I..."

"Jade," Roy said sternly, his voice hard yet shaky at the same time. "How long have you known?"

"For... for about a month." Jade said so quietly that it was almost a whisper.

No sooner than she said those words Roy pulled his hand away from her as if she was a deadly virus. He stood up from the couch and backed away from her. Roy began to pace and run his hands through his hair.

"Roy--"

"You've been pregnant for a month and you didn't tell me?!" he snarled as he glared down at her.

"I... I was going to tell you--"

"Bullshit! You've could have told me at any time you wanted to and yet you pick today to tell me something like this!"

Jade's eyes filled with tears and she looked away from him.

"I was afraid of how you would react." she said softly. She buried her face in her hands and began to sob. This was exactly what she didn't want. She was so afraid of what Roy's reaction would be and that's why she had put off telling him the truth for so long.

Roy sighed. He was beyond mad at the moment but he couldn't stand to see Jade suffer like this. Especially when it was because of him. He awkwardly crossed the room and sat by her side. He hesitantly put an arm around her shoulders and rubbed her arm.

"Look... I'm sorry I blew up on you like that," Roy said after a long pause. "But you still should have told me."

"I know," Jade said as she rubbed her eyes, her sobs dying down. "I got the same lecture from Jenn."

"Jenn," Roy questioned, his eyes finally turning towards Jade. "What does she have to do with this?"

Jade sighed. "Jenn knows about me being pregnant."

Roy bit his tongue before any words could escape his mouth. The last thing he wanted to do was blow up on her again and make her cry. He was finding it hard to bury his anger, it hurt him to know that Jenn knew about Jade's secret before he did. Right now he could feel his rage building up inside of him and he knew he wouldn't be able to contain it much longer. Plus, this was all too much to deal with at once.

"I think you should go." Roy said suddenly as he removed his arm from her shoulders and stood up.

Jade looked up at him with surprised eyes. "W-what?"

"Ollie's gonna be home soon and...," Roy sighed. It was so hard to lie to Jade. "Look, honestly this is just too much to deal with."

"Roy, I know you're scared. You're not the only one," Jade said as she stood up. "But we have to talk about this."

"But I don't want to talk about it." Roy said through gritted teeth.

"Roy--"

"Jade, you don't understand," Roy exclaimed. "I'm not ready to be a father."

Jade crossed her arms and scowled at him. "Oh, and do you think I'm ready to be a mother?"

"Jade, I don't want a baby," Roy shouted. "I don't want to be a father!"

There was an instant silence in the room.

"You're right, Roy," Jade said quietly. "I should go." she said bitterly as she walked past him, bumping into his shoulder on purpose as she headed towards the front door.

"Jade," Roy turned around and chased after her. He reached her just as she was about to open the door and he quickly went behind her and used his hand to close the door, leaning his weight so she couldn't open it. "Jade, I didn't mean it."

Jade crossed her arms and kept her eyes focused on the door in front of her. "Roy, I would like to leave now," Jade said in a calm voice though one could tell she was hurting right now. "Please remove your hand from the door."

Reluctantly Roy did as he was asked to and he removed his hand from the door. He opened the door for her and Jade quietly walked out. Roy watched her as she walked away and he quickly turned his head away and slammed the door shut.

"Fucking dammit!"

Roy stormed off and went to the backyard of his home. Once he was outside he went inside the shed and took a brief look around until he finally spotted what he needed.

His bow and arrows.

Ollie had got him a set after spring break during his sophomore year. Roy usually only used his bow and arrows when him and Ollie were having one of their bonding moments of when he needed to expel his anger. Roy would keep shooting arrows until he felt the anger inside him die down. Roy picked up his quiver and counted how many arrows were inside. Twelve.

With the way he was feeling right now it was going to take more than twelve arrows until his anger was anywhere near gone.

---

It was the start of the second day of school and Jade felt completely miserable. She wanted nothing more than to stay at home so at least that way there was a full guarantee that she wouldn't see Roy. Unfortunately for Jade her mother wouldn't allow it and had drove Jade to school herself to make sure Jade would go to school.

Jade rummaged through her locker angrily as she stuffed her book-bag in. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to see Roy. At the thought of Roy Jade instantly scowled. The words he had said to her yesterday were hurtful. The first thing Jade did when she got home was cry her eyes out at the thought of the things he said to her.

"Jade?"

Jade sighed at the sound of her best friend's voice and turned around to face Jenn. Jenn took a moment to study Jade before asking the dreaded question Jade knew was coming.

"You told Roy, didn't you?"

Jade only nodded in response.

"How'd he take the news?"

"Not so good." Jade answered quietly, her eyes on the ground.

"Is that why you didn't take any of my calls yesterday?" Jenn asked.

Jade nodded once more. "I wasn't exactly up to talking to anyone last night."

Jenn's eyes softened. "It was that bad?"

"Bad doesn't even begin to describe..." Jade trailed of as her eyes fell upon a certain someone making their way down the hall and towards her locker. Of course this someone was none other than Roy.

Roy had his hands stuffed in his pockets and the hood to his red sweater was up, hiding most of his face. He stopped walking when Jenn blocked his path to Jade. Roy had never seen Jenn look so furious in his life. Jenn had her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. Her eyes were narrowed and her lips were pressed in a tight frown.

"What do you want?" Jenn asked coldly as she glared at Roy.

"I want to talk to Jade." Roy answered, being careful with the words he used as to not upset the goth girl in front of him.

"I don't think so," Jenn hissed as she cracked her knuckles. "I think you and I need to have a word--"

"Jenn," Jade said softly, placing a hand on Jenn's shoulder. "It's okay."

Jenn paused for a moment, regarding Jade quietly. Eventually the pink haired girl nodded and looked back at Roy so she could glare at him once more. "If you say something to hurt her you better pray I don't find you or your little car."

With that said Jenn walked away with her head held high and her hands on her hips, leaving Roy and Jade in an uncomfortable silence. For about two minutes neither one of them said anything and the silence was finally broken by Jade's sigh.

"Listen, Roy, first period is gonna start soon so if you have nothing to say then I'm gonna go to class."

"I wanted to talk to you about our... situation."

Jade narrowed her eyes at him, not pleased at all by the way he was acting. "Alright then, let's talk."

"Not here," Roy took her arm and gently lead her over to a secluded corner. The halls were nearly empty now so he felt it was safe to talk. "I wanted to know what you wanted to do with the baby."

"You mean _our _baby." Jade corrected harshly while glaring at him.

"Jade, now is not the time..," Roy stopped himself and took a deep breath before continuing. "I just wanted to know what you want."

"Roy, I don't know what I want." Jade said quietly, her eyes rimming with tears that refused to fall.

"Well... I guess we could raise it." Roy said looking away, his sentence sounding forced.

"That's not what I want," Jade said as she shook her head. "Roy, I want you to be there for the baby only if you want to be. Not because you feel like you have to because you have no choice."

The halls became empty and it was just the two of them left.

"Dammit...," Roy muttered. He sighed. "I wish you would have told me sooner. I don't know what the hell to do. I feel trapped."

Jade shook her head at him and began to walk away.

Roy looked at her retreating form. "Where are you going?"

"I can't be around you when you're like this."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Jade stopped and turned around to face him. "It means you're acting like an idiot."

Roy huffed as he felt his anger boiling inside of him. "You know what, I don't even know why I'm so worried. For all I know it's not even my kid."

Jade's whole world seemed to stop spinning at that moment. Her mind couldn't even begin to understand the words Roy just said to her. How could he say something like that to her? Words couldn't even begin to describe the amount of pain Roy caused Jade by saying that to her.

Jade clenched her fist and calmly walked up to Roy, the only sound coming from her made by the clicks of her heels. She stopped walking when she was directly in front of Roy. She looked at him with the coldest set of eyes Roy had ever seen in his life and he thought for a moment that she was going to hit him. But she didn't, she just looked at him with cold eyes for a few seconds before finally speaking.

"This is just perfect," Jade said sounding stoical. "This is just perfect because now my baby doesn't have to grow up with a _junkie _for it's father."

Roy had a startled intake of breath by her words. Never in a million years would he have imagined that Jade of all people would call him a junkie. Hearing that come from her mouth and have it directed at him hurt him in more ways thought possible.

"Hey," called Mr. Wintergreen, the assistant principal who anyone rarely saw anymore. "What are you two doing in the halls? You should be in class right now." he scolded.

"No problem, Mr. Wintergreen," Jade said as she tore her gaze away from Roy. "I have nothing more to say to," Jade cast a nasty glance at Roy. "_him _anyways."

"Same here." Roy muttered as he walked away from Jade as fast as possible.

Jade sighed in regret as she slowly followed the path Roy took to class. It was only the second day and junior year already sucked.

---

The night sky had fallen over Jump City and the street lights were just about the only source of light. Roy drummed his fingers over the car steering wheel and looked from side to side before continuing down the road. It had been months since he had driven down this road but yet he remembered the path all to clearly.

Roy's car came to a stop. He removed his seat belt and got out of the car, his eyes fixed on the building up ahead.

Linger.

Roy raised his hood above his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets before walking towards the back alley. There was a man by the entrance and Roy already knew the deal. Roy took out a twenty and gave it to the man. He was then granted entrance into the club. It was just like he remembered it. The music pulsed through the floor and in response bodies grinded with each other to the flow of the beat. The lights would change color every few seconds and those caught under it would have a different hue of skin. People chatted animatedly with each other at every corner. The place was packed and more lively than ever before.

Roy looked around and sighed. It had been so long since he stepped foot in this place. The last time he came here was to escape depression, this time he had come to escape life. He always felt free when he used to come to this place. It would always help him relax. That's what he wanted to do now; relax. And shooting arrows wasn't helping relieve his stress.

As Roy ventured into the club he suddenly felt lost and didn't know why he was here. He knew what brought him here, his problem with Jade brought him here, but he didn't know why he was here.

With a defeated sigh Roy tugged himself over to the empty sofa located by the spiraling staircase and sat down. He buried his face in his hands feelings utterly confused and overwhelmed with emotion.

A soft voice spoke to him and a hand was placed on his shoulder. "Long time no see stranger."

Roy's eyes went wide at the sound of a voice he knew all to well. He turned his head and shifted his body so he could look at the girl behind him.

She looked different but her face remained the same. Her lips pulled upward into a smile and Roy took a moment to study the girl before him. She still had that tall and slim body of her's along with those hazel eyes. Her blonde hair had light brown streaks and was pushed over her right shoulder. The shorts she was wearing matched her strappy navy blue heels and she wore a light blue tube top.

"Amy..." Roy's mouth was agape. The last time he saw her was right after his last visit to Linger.

"Well don't just sit there," Amy said with a playful demeanor. "Give me a hug!"

Roy obliged her and stood to his feet so he could give Amy a hug. Amy pulled away and smiled at him.

"Wow, you haven't changed a bit, Roy," Amy said. "I'm surprised to even see you here. From what I've heard since I've came back here you haven't stepped foot in Linger since I've left."

Roy nodded his head to show that what she heard was true.

"Well come on," Amy chirped as she grabbed Roy's hand and pulled him down on the sofa. "We have much to talk about."

---

Amy swirled her apple martini in her glass before taking a sip. She sighed with content and placed the glass down on the table in front of her. Roy had just finished telling her about what made him stop doing drugs and why he stopped coming to Linger and Amy took a moment to absorb all the information.

"That's quite some story kid," Amy said as she turned her head to the side and looked at Roy. "Now I have a question for you. You claim to be clean but yet here you are back inside the doors of Linger. Why?"

Roy paused for a moment before answering. "My life is really complicated right now... I needed an escape so I came here."

"Hmm...," Amy twirled a stand of her hair around her index finger while in deep thought. "Tell me hun, just what are you trying to escape?"

Roy lowered his gaze and kept his voice low. "Jade."

This caught Amy's attention. "Jade?"

Roy nodded. "Jade and I... we have a situation."

"Oh," Amy rose a brow. "What kind of situation?"

Roy stood silent as he tried to decide whether or not to tell Amy the truth. He considered the friendship he had with Amy and how she was such a good listener. Maybe she could help him find a solution for his problem.

"I got Jade pregnant." Roy said as quickly as possible, having just blurted out the truth.

Amy didn't know what to feel. Part of her regretted the fact that she had lost any chance she had with Roy but the most of her was happy for Roy. After a long pause Amy smiled a genuine smile.

"Roy, that's great news," she said with honest happiness. "I'm happy for you. I mean... wow, you're gonna be a father."

"Unfortunately." Roy muttered but Amy heard his crude remark and was rather surprised by it.

"You're not happy about this," Amy began softly. "Are you?"

Roy scoffed. "Why would you think that?"

Amy crossed her arms and put on an impassive look. Roy waited patiently for her to say something but when she didn't he finally cracked from the silence.

"C'mon, Amy, don't give me that look," Roy said. "Do you really expect me to be happy about this? I got Jade _pregnant_, we're supposed to have a _baby_. I'm scared outta my freakin' mind, Amy."

"Roy, of course you're gonna be scared. Anyone would be if they were put in your shoes. But have you ever thought about Jade and how she's feeling?"

Roy paused and considered Amy's question. In all honesty he never really considered Jade's feelings about all this, he was more concerned about his own skin rather than hers.

"Take a minute to think here, Roy. Think about everything that Jade has been going through. Think about how this is gonna affect her," Amy said. "Jade won't be able to hide the fact that she's pregnant for long and people are gonna know. Girl world can be _very _vicious and when the truth comes out things are going to get ugly, and Jade will need more than her friends to get by."

"I know you're right, but...," Roy sighed. "This is all too much. I don't even know the first things about babies."

"And do you think Jade does? I can almost guarantee you that she doesn't. You and her are a lot alike. You're both scared and haven't the first clue what to do," Amy said. "But you need to understand something, Roy. If you bail on Jade she's going to be stuck. I know she has family and friends but what she needs is you. Whether you like it or not you're both in this together, whether you decided to raise the baby or not you won't be able to change the fact that you have a child. It's time you get your priorities straight, Roy. You need to decided; either you're with Jade or you're not."

Roy nodded his head in understanding and stood up. "Thanks, Amy. I needed that."

"No problem hun." Amy said indifferently with a wave of her hand, a small smile on her lips.

"Listen, I'm sorry but I really have to go." Roy said with a certain eagerness in his voice.

"Best of luck to you, Roy."

"Thanks, Amy." Roy said before he turned and began to walk away.

"Oh, Roy, one more thing," Amy called out, making him stop in his tracks and turn around. "Don't ever come back here."

Roy regarded her words silently and nodded before walking out of the doors of Linger for good, never to return again.

Amy smiled, Roy was a good kid and she knew he would make the right choice.

---

Jade rubbed her temples in annoyance and closed her eyes. "No, Jenn, I do not want you to key Roy's car," Jade exasperated. Not that long ago Jade called Jenn to let her know about what happened between her and Roy. Jade had avoided telling Jenn at school with good reason; because she knew how Jenn would react. Naturally Jenn didn't like what she was told and wanted to seek vengeance on Roy on Jade's behalf yet Jade didn't want her to. "Jenn, it's late and I'm tired. Please can't we just talk about this tomorrow?... Thanks, see you tomorrow. Bye."

Jade sighed and placed the phone down. She stood up and stretched out her limbs feeling sleepy. It was getting late and she was already in her pajamas. Jade left the kitchen with one goal in mind; her pillow. Maybe if she was to get a good nights sleep she would feel better. She walked out into the foyer and was half way up the stairs when the door bell began to continually ring.

"Oh come on, not now," Jade groaned and made her way down the stairs. "Hold on just a sec, I'm coming!" Jade reached the door and opened it wide. Her eyes widened at who she saw than narrowed. "What are you doing here, Roy?"

"I wanted to talk to you." Roy said with pleading eyes.

"Well I don't feel like talking to you." Jade said as she shut the door. She wasn't fast enough and Roy blocked the door with his foot.

Roy winced in pain. "Come on, Jade. Please just let me come in and talk to you."

Jade huffed and opened the door. "Fine," she grumbled. "You can come in."

She stepped to the side and allowed Roy entry. Roy walked in hesitantly looking from side to side. He finally turned his attention towards Jade.

"Where's your mom?"

"She's working late today," Jade answered absently as she sat down on the bottom steps of the stairs. She looked at Roy expectantly. "Well... say what you came to say or get out. I'm tired and wanna go to sleep."

"You don't have to be so cold you know," Roy said as he sat down besides her. "Though I don't blame you at all for being angry."

Jade said nothing and looked down at her hands.

"I wanted to say sorry about earlier. What I said was wrong and I was being stupid," Roy turned his head to the side to look at Jade. "I know you would never cheat on me but I wasn't thinking clearly when I said that. I didn't mean it."

"Yeah, well... I didn't mean what I said either," Jade said as she looked at Roy. "Is that all?"

"No... I wanted to talk about the--... our baby," Roy corrected himself at the last minute and smiled slightly. "Our baby. Has a nice ring to it doesn't it?"

"Roy--"

"I know I didn't take the news too well when you told me but I was thinking a lot about us...," Roy grasped Jade's hand in his own and smiled at her. "Jade, let's keep the baby. Let's raise it together."

Jade sighed deeply. "Roy... raising a baby is a lot of responsibility and commitment. You have to be absolutely sure."

"I am sure," Roy said seriously. "And besides, it was gonna happen sooner or later. I guess it just happen sooner."

"Roy...," Jade bit her lip. She wanted to trust Roy and believe him but apart of her still felt doubt. She knew she loved him but she didn't know how much he loved her. "I don't know..."

Roy quickly kneeled before her and took both of her hands in his own, his eyes locked on hers. "Jade, I love you. I swear it. And when the baby is born I want to be there for you and him... or her. I promise to be there for the both of you."

Jade's eyes filled with tears and she broke down into sobs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest as she cried. Roy wrapped his arms around her body and held her tight as he whispered words of comfort in her ear. He raised her chin and held her gaze before leaning in for a kiss.

---------------------

**I HOPED EVERYONE LIKED THIS CHAPTER. I UPDATED SO QUICKLY AS A THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE REVIEWED SO FAR.**

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**OKAY, I THINK IT'S FAIR TO WARN ALL OF YOU THAT UPDATES MAY NOT BE AS QUICKLY AS WE ALL WANT THEM TO BE. I HAVE TO OTHER STORIES THAT NEEDS WORKING ON NOT TO MENTION SCHOOL WORK. BUT I PROMISE TO UPDATE AS QUICKLY AS I CAN. **

**NEXT CHAPTER: TELLING THE PARENTS.**

**ALSO, HERE'S A LITTLE GIFT TO RoseXxxXThorn. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROSE AND I HOPE YOU LIKE YOUR GIFT WHICH IS A...**

**SNEAK PEEK TO THE NEXT CHAPTER:**

Roy crossed his arms and gave Jade a stern look. "She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," Jade said as she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "She's just being a parent."

"A mean parent." Roy muttered.

**BY THE LOOKS OF THINGS I MAY BE ABLE TO POST THIS CHAPTER SATURDAY. LET'S JUST HOPE MY SCHEDULE DOESN'T GET TO CRAZY.**

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	4. Telling the parents

Jade was the first thing Roy saw when he woke up this morning. It was her sleeping face that had greeted him the past couple of days when he opened his eyes to the start of a new day. A week ago Roy found out that his girlfriend was pregnant with his child. At first the news terrified him but he eventually found himself warming up to the idea of being a father, and ever since Roy had made it a necessity to be by Jade's side.

Which is why he had been waking up in her bed for the past couple of days.

Roy and Jade had made a pattern. Roy would make up a lie to Ollie saying that he was spending the night at one of his friends houses and could only be reached by his cell phone if the need to call was urgent. Then, Roy would drive to Jade's house but would park his car a few blocks away. He would then make the rest of the trip by foot and climb through the side of the house up to Jade's window. She would be up to greet him with a smile on her face and a nice comfy spot on the bed. It seemed like a futile plan bound to fail but it worked every time so far.

Roy couldn't help but stare at Jade's sleeping form. She seemed so at peace in the mornings and so utterly beautiful. Absent mindedly Roy began to stroke her hair and he moved her bangs away from her face.

"Enjoying the view?" Jade muttered sleepily, her eyes still closed.

"Always do," Roy answered cheekily. "Did I wake you?"

"No," Jade responded as she cuddled into his chest. "This feels nice. Makes you not wanna go to school."

"I don't recall a time when I ever did wanna go to school."

Jade made a small noise of agreement and snuggled even closer to Roy. Roy lazily wrapped an arm around her waist. He closed his eyes in thought. His mind began to wander on a few issues he had been dwelling on these past few days. Even though Roy didn't voice it, he was worried. He was worried about what the future held for him, Jade and their baby. But most of all he was more concerned about the present. The only people who knew about the baby other than himself and Jade was Jenn. Amy knew as well but that was a different story.

It was already evident that Jenn was going to do everything in her power to help them but Jenn's help wouldn't be enough. If Roy was going to raise this baby he was going to have to figure out how to raise a baby first, he would need someone to teach him how to do it. Roy's mind instantly went to Ollie.

Ollie was like a father and mentor to him. After the whole drug use issue Roy and Ollie had grew a lot closer. Roy had even made a promise to Ollie; that if he ever needed help Ollie would be one of the first to know. Thinking on that promise now Roy sure did feel lousy. He wanted to tell Ollie but he just wasn't sure how.

Roy sighed, why did life have to be so damn complicated?

"What's wrong?"

Roy blinked open his eyes and looked down at Jade in puzzlement, wondering just how and when did she get this ability to read his emotions so quickly.

"Nothing's wrong," Roy assured her. "I was just thinking..."

"About what?"

"About Ollie... and about telling him about our baby."

Jade sighed and buried her face in Roy's chest. "We'll talk about this in the morning."

"Jade, it's already morning." Roy said sounding a bit frustrated as he got out of bed and grabbed his blue jeans off the floor. When in bed with Jade he only slept in his boxers and sometimes a white t-shirt.

Jade sat up in bed and looked at Roy as he began to put on his red shirt. "Roy--"

"I don't understand this," he said as he turned to face her. "Wouldn't telling our parents be the right thing to do? With each day that goes by I feel like I'm failing Ollie."

"You are _not _failing Ollie."

"Well I feel like I am," Roy sighed. "I just really wanna tell him the truth."

Jade opened her arms wide. "Come here."

Roy did as he was told and sat down on the bed, his back facing her. Jade crawled up to him and sat behind him on her knees. She kissed his shoulder and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"I know how you feel, Roy, believe me I do," Jade said softly as she began to rub his biceps. "I want to tell my parents too."

"So then why don't we," he asked, turning to face her and stopping the massage she was giving him. "Let's tell them."

Jade bit her lip and stayed silent. She opened her mouth to speak but didn't get the chance to due to the knocking on her door.

"Jade? Are you up sweetheart?"

Jade's eyes practically popped out of her head at the sound of her mother's voice. Jade looked at Roy and saw the same expression on his face. Moving at a high speed Jade grabbed Roy's jacket and sneakers and tossed it to him. He caught it and dived under the bed.

Jade put on a innocent face and sat on the bed. "Come in."

The door opened and Serena walked in wearing a white collar shirt and grey skirt that was part of a suit. It was the usual business attire that Jade was accustomed to seeing her mother wear for work.

"Jade, is something wrong," Serena asked. "I thought I heard something."

"You probably just heard me falling out of the bed again," Jade said with a sheepish smile. "Do you need something mom?"

"Actually I was hoping you and I could talk before I go to work."

Jade swallowed the lump in her throat and hesitantly nodded. "Sure..."

Serena smiled lightly before sitting down besides Jade. "I wanted to talk to you about Roy Harper."

At this both Jade and Roy froze up.

"Uh... w-what about Roy?" Jade asked nervously.

"Well, how do I put this...," Serena moved a bit in her spot to have a better look at Jade. "The two of you have been spending a lot of time together as of lately and I feel as though the two of you need to have some distance."

Roy narrowed his eyes. Just what exactly was Serena trying to say.

"Mom, I respect your advice but I do _not _need to distance myself from Roy." Jade said tartly.

"Jade, you're a junior in high school now. It's time that you consider aspects of your future and I don't think Roy Harper is the best choice for you."

Roy gritted his teeth. Serena never really did like him, for what reason he had no idea but the two never really got along all that well. How much he despised that woman right now. How dare she try to coax Jade into giving him up.

"Roy Harper isn't exactly someone you can depend on." Serena continued.

Roy had just about enough of hearing Serena insult him. He tugged at Jade's pajama pants to let her know he was feeling uncomfortable.

Jade took the hint and decided to end the conversation. "You know what, mom... I have to get ready for school so maybe we should continue this some other time."

"You're right," Serena answered absently as she looked at the watch on her wrist. "But I would still like to continue this talk."

"Of course mom. Whatever you say," Jade said in a forced nice voice as her mother left the room. As soon as her mom was near the stairs Jade shut her bedroom door and leaned her back against it. She sighed and looked over at Roy who had just come out from hiding under the bed. "That went well."

Roy crossed his arms and gave Jade a stern look. "She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," Jade said as she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "She's just being a parent."

"A mean parent." Roy muttered.

"Hey," Jade placed a hand on his cheek and turned his face gently so he was looking at her. "I don't care what she thinks. I love you for who you are." Jade pecked Roy on the lips and smiled at him.

Roy sighed and leaned his head in the nape of her neck. "Jade?"

"Yes?"

"I really wanted to tell Ollie about the baby."

"Okay," Jade pulled away from him and smiled. "We'll tell them today."

"You mean it?" Roy asked, a smile forming on his lips.

Jade nodded. "After school. You'll tell Ollie and I'll tell my mom."

Roy wrapped Jade in a bear hug and kissed her passionately. "Thank you so much! You're the best, Jade."

"I know," Jade said playfully as she pushed him towards the door. "Now get. I have to get dressed."

---

"Are you completely sure?" Jenn asked Jade while casting her a worried glance. It was the start of second period which meant that Jenn and Jade had second period free. They were currently in the girls bathroom and since it was empty Jade spoke freely to Jenn about her plans to tell her mother the truth.

"I'm sure, Jenn," Jade replied as she wiped her hands clean of water. "Roy thinks it's important to tell our parents sooner rather than later."

"And I think that's very responsible of you both but your mom isn't exactly that understanding. Remember how she flipped out on you when you told her you became a cheerleader?"

"I remember," Jade replied as she grabbed her book-bag from Jenn's hand. "But do you remember how I convinced her to let me stay a cheerleader?"

"I'm not exactly sure 'please mommy' is going to help you in this kind of situation." Jenn said as she held open the door so they could leave.

"I know my mom isn't the most understanding person in the world but how bad can her reaction be?"

"I'm thinking worse than Roy's." Jenn said bluntly.

"Well I'm going to think positive," Jade said. "The last thing I need to do is start to panic."

Jenn sighed and shook her head. She wanted to think positive but it was hard for her when all she could think about was Jade's well being.

"Where was it again that Kori and Raven told us to meet them?" Jade asked. Just like Jade and Jenn, Raven and Kori also had second period free.

"Library."

"Well then it looks like we're here." Jade said with a smile as she opened the front door to the school's library and walked inside with Jenn right behind her.

Together the two of them traveled through the book cases all the way to the back of the library. The back of the library was one of the perfect spots for students to hang out. Barely any teachers would venture to the back of the library giving the students who hung out there the perfect chance to talk with each other. The only requirement for the students was to keep their voices to a minimum volume.

---

After school finally came and Roy suddenly felt nervous. The plan was for Jade to tell her mother and him to tell Ollie about the baby. At first it seemed like the right thing to do but now, as Roy stood outside Ollie's office, the plan seemed like a really bad idea. Roy swallowed the lump in his throat and pushed open the door just a bit so he could poke his head in. He saw Ollie sitting at his desk with papers in front of him.

"Uh, Ollie," Roy began hesitantly. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure thing, Roy," said Ollie as he evened out a stack of papers. "Come on in and have a seat."

Roy hesitantly did as he was told and walked in, closing the door behind him. He took a seat opposite of Ollie so they were face to face with only the desk between them. Roy awkwardly drummed his fingers against the desk to prolong the unavoidable.

Ollie rose a brow at Roy, wondering what exactly had his ward so nervous. "Roy... is everything okay? You seem nervous."

"Oh, um, yeah...," Roy nodded his head. "Everything is okay... Uh, Ollie... remember when we made that promise about me telling you the truth when something was wrong?"

Ollie folded his hands and leaned against the desk. "Are you in trouble, Roy?"

"Well, no, not exactly."

"Roy, if you're in trouble please tell me. It's the only way I can help you," Ollie said. That's when the worst came to mind. "You're not back on heroin are you?"

"No!"

"Is it anything illegal?"

"Ollie," Roy exasperated. "I'm no back on drugs and I'm not doing anything illegal."

Ollie sighed with relief and leaned back on his chair. He looked at Roy expectantly. "Okay, Roy, just what is that you have to tell me?"

"Well...," Roy took a deep breath and lowered his gaze. "I sorta, kinda, got Jade... pregnant."

Ollie sucked in a startled gasp and grasped the rim of the desk in shock.

The room became silent and Roy felt as if the walls were closing in on him. He began to panic and blurt things out.

"Ollie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to get her pregnant, it just sort of happened. I know you're mad but I promise to take responsibility. I was stupid, I admit that, but please don't hate me."

"Roy," Ollie shouted. Roy instantly went quiet due to the rise of Ollie's voice. Seeing as he had Roy's undivided attention Ollie began to speak. "I don't hate you and I never will, Roy. You made a mistake, that doesn't mean you're stupid."

"Wait, aren't you mad?" Roy asked.

"I'm a little disappointed but I'm not mad," Ollie confessed. "I can't help but feel a bit responsible for all of this. Had I been a better role model--"

"You're a great role model, Ollie," interrupted Roy. "You always have been."

Ollie gave a small nod and looked at Roy with a serious expression on his face. "So... pregnant huh?"

"Yeah." Roy nodded his head.

"And you're sure the baby is yours?"

"Positive."

"Well," Ollie leaned back in his chair and turned it a bit so he was facing the wall. "You know what this means right?"

"Not exactly." Roy confessed.

"It means you're gonna need a job," Ollie said. "And it just so happens that there's a job opening at OQ Industries."

"You're giving me a job?" Roy asked, blinking in surprise. OQ Industries was the name of the company Ollie owned.

"You and Jade are gonna need help, Roy," Ollie said. "And I'm willing to help you."

Roy smiled as he felt the stress leave his shoulders. He was relieved to know that he had Ollie's support. He just hoped Jade wasn't having such a hard time telling her mother.

---

Jade found her mother sitting in the kitchen when she came home from school. Usually her mother worked late but Friday's were one of the few days when she came home before Jade did. Jade peeked into the kitchen and debated with herself whether or not to talk with her mother.

She decided not.

Jade removed her book-bag from her shoulders and placed it by the door in her room. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it. She was terrified of the idea of telling her mother and wanted to back out. That's when something caught Jade's eye.

A small frame made of mahogany wood and decorated with heart shaped stickers was placed on the shelf of her book case and contained a photo of Roy with his arms wrapped around Jade.

Jade made a whining noise and thumped her head against the door before walking out of her room. "Damn you, Roy..."

Jade had made a promise to Roy that she would tell her mother today and that was exactly what she was going to do. She had no intention of breaking her promise to him, even though she did want to.

When Jade arrived downstairs to the kitchen she found her mother in the same position as she saw her before. Serena was sitting at the small, round kitchen table with a newspaper in hand and a cup of coffee placed to the side. Why her mother drunk coffee during the afternoon's was beyond Jade, her mother seemed to have an unnatural addiction with the liquid substance.

Jade hesitantly stepped inside the kitchen and cleared her throat. "Mom?"

"Oh, Jade," Serena smiled and closed her newspaper. "I'm surprised to see you down here. Shouldn't you be doing your homework right now?"

"Yeah, actually I should... But I was hoping we could finish that talk we started earlier." Jade said while fiddling with her fingers.

"Of course we can," Serena said quickly. "Come and sit with me."

Jade obliged her mother's request and sat down besides her.

"Now where did we leave off...," Serena tapped her chin in thought and smiled brightly. "Ah, yes, I remember now. We were talking about that boy Roy Harper."

"Can we save the talks about Roy for some other day please," Jade said quickly. "There's something I really need to tell you and it can't wait."

"Well if it's really important go on ahead and tell me, Jade." Serena said in a motherly tone.

"Before I tell you I just wanted to say that I never meant for any of this happen," Jade said softly. She took a deep breath before raising her eyes so she was looking her mother in the eye. "Do you remember during the summer how I went on that trip with Roy?" Jade asked. She waited until her mother nodded before continuing. "This isn't for me to tell you... I slept with Roy."

"Oh no...," Serena put a hand to her mouth and shook her head. "Jade, no. How could you do something like that? Why didn't you wait until you were older?"

"Mom, I know you're not happy right now but there's more," Jade paused and looked down at her hands resting on her lap. "I'm... I'm pregnant."

"What?" Serena hissed, her eyes narrowed.

Jade had never once heard her mother use that tone of voice with her before. Jade looked up at her mother. "Mom, I know you're mad--"

"Mad is not the word, Jade," Serena hissed as she stood up and walked around the table pacing. She glared down at her child. "How could you be so stupid? I taught you better than this!"

"Mom, please," Jade clasped her hands before her chest as she began to plead with her mother. "Just hear me out."

"Here you out," Serena snapped. "I can barely look at you right now. How could you let something like this happen, Jade?"

"Mom, please," Jade begged. "You don't have to be so angry. I mean, if it's the baby you're worried about--"

"I'm not worried about the baby because there will be no baby."

Jade's whole world stopped at those words and she looked at her mother with horror written on her face. "W-what?"

"Jade," Serena placed her hands on Jade's shoulders and spoke softly. "You are still young and a baby will only complicate your life. Having an abortion is in your best interest."

Jade shook herself free and glared at her mother. "No, me having an abortion is in _your _best interest! I am _not _going to have an abortion!"

"I'm your mother," Serena snapped. "You will do as I say."

"Like hell I will! You're not taking my baby from me!" Jade shouted before running up the stairs with tears streaming down her face.

When she got to her room Jade covered her mouth to try and quiet down her sobs, not that it helped. She wiped her eyes and tried to regain control of her breathing. She had to calm down. Jade couldn't believe what her mother did. How could she demand something like that? It wasn't her choice, it was Jade's and Roy's. They were the parents, it was their decision, and they already decided to keep the baby and to raise it together.

Jade placed a hand on her stomach and narrowed her eyes. There was no way she was going to let her mother take away her child.

With in seconds Jade had her cell phone by her ear.

---

Jenn looked up at the poster on the wall with weary eyes. She looked over at the overly happy Wally who had a smile on his face and looked back at the poster. She sighed and cocked her head to the side. "Are you sure..."

Wally eagerly nodded his head. "Of course I'm sure! Jenn, this is Wicked Scary The Revenge. We _have _to see it," Wally crossed his arms and grinned. "Besides, you promised you'd go see it with me."

"I know, but so far we've seen every Wicked Scary movie ever made and they always end the same way," Jenn batted her eyelashes. "Can't we just see a romantic flick instead?"

"No."

"But--"

"You promised."

Jenn sighed. "Fine."

"Yay!... I mean, cool, whatever." Wally said with an indifferent shrug. He smiled at Jenn and took her hand in his as they made their way to the ticket booth. Just as they arrived at the front of the line Jenn's cell phone began to ring.

"Hold on a sec, Wally, I have to take this," Jenn said as she took out her cell phone. She ignored the annoyed pout in Wally's face and answered her phone. "Hello?... Jade." Jenn lowered her voice and side stepped away from Wally. "Jade, calm down and tell me what happened slowly... Okay, hold on, I'll be right there. It shouldn't take me that long to get to your house." Jenn shut her phone and stepped back to Wally's side with a look on her face that said she wanted something. "Wally, listen, I am so sorry but I have to cancel."

"Hold on a minute," Wally said. "You're ditching me? On our date?!"

"I'm sorry but I really have to go," Jenn pecked him on the lips. "I promise to make it up to you next time."

With that said Jenn took off at a run.

"But you're my ride! Jenn!" Wally sighed and hung his head low.

"Damn, it really sucks to be you doesn't it," said the teenage boy behind the ticket booth. "You still wanna see that movie?"

Wally took out some money from his wallet and spoke with a pathetically sad voice. "One please."

---

Serena clicked the phone off with a heavy sigh. She heard a noise coming from the stairs and turned around, when she did so she saw Jade.

"I called your father," Serena said quietly. "He should be here by tomorrow." Serena eyed the bags in Jade's hands and narrowed her eyes. "Jade... what are you doing with those bags?"

"I'm leaving," Jade said evenly. "If you can't accept me being pregnant then I'm gone."

"Jade, you're being rash--"

"I am not being rash! You are trying to take my baby from me," Jade shouted. "And I'm not gonna let you."

With that said Jade walked out the door with her suitcases in hand. Serena narrowed her eyes and followed her daughter to the end of the sidewalk where Jade was looking both ways as if she was looking for something.

"Jade, get back in the house right now." Serena demanded in a strict tone.

"No."

"Jade, this is ridiculous," Serena exasperated. "Where are you even going?"

"Jenn said it was okay if I stayed with her."

As if called upon by magic Jenn's car pulled around the corner and pulled up to the side of the sidewalk where Jade and Serena were standing. Jade gave her mother one long cold stare before getting into the passenger seat of Jenn's car. With a hum of the engine the two drove off.

Jade sighed and turned her head away from the window as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I can't believe that just happened..." she said forlornly.

"You did what you had to do." Jenn said softly, her eyes on the road.

Jade nodded in agreement. "Yeah," she sighed once more. "I just hope Roy is having a better time with Ollie." Jade's eyes went wide. "Oh no, I forgot about Roy. Jenn, what should I do?"

"Well you have to tell him," Jenn said calmly. "You wouldn't want him to show up at your house and only find your mom there."

"That would make thing's worse... Can we go over there right now?"

Jenn nodded without question and turned the car around. It didn't take long for them to arrive at Roy's house and before she knew it Jade was standing outside Roy's door. She hesitated with herself feeling fearful before she finally knocked on the door. The door opened and Roy blinked in surprise to see Jade standing there.

"Jade, what are you doing here?"

Jade hung her head low. "My mom couldn't accept the fact that I'm pregnant... So I left."

Roy quickly pulled her into a hug. Jade held on to him as if her life depended on it.

"I'm sorry you were forced to do that." Roy murmured while stroking her hair.

"Don't be, it was for a good cause," Jade said. "Besides, Jenn said it would be alright if I stayed with her."

"No way," Roy said quickly as he pulled away at arms length and looked her in the eye. "You can stay with me."

Someone coughed behind them and they quickly turned to see who it was.

Ollie arched a eyebrow at the two. "Hello, Jade."

"Ollie," Jade replied with a nod of her head. "I assume Roy told you the news."

"Yes, yes he did."

"Ollie, she has nowhere to go," said Roy. "And I know I'm not in the position to be asking you any favors but Jade and I--"

"She can stay for the night but she should call her mom to let her know where she will be staying."

"But--"

"I think we all need to sit down and discuss this," Ollie said wisely. "I'll call Jade's mother and invite her over so we can talk about this tomorrow as a group. Roy, you can help Jade bring her bags inside."

---

Roy and Jade had their ears pressed against the door as they tried to hear the conversation on the other side.

After a good night's sleep morning had arrived, and with it so did Jade's father and mother. When Luke arrived he seemed so happy to see his daughter and welcomed her with open arms. Serena however wore a scowl on her face and kept her arms crossed. She didn't even look in Jade's direction.

Luke was different. He wasn't exactly happy about the fact that Jade was pregnant but he wasn't about to turn his back on his daughter. He did that once and wasn't about to do it again. Luke looked at the situation with an understanding and compassion, something Serena couldn't bring herself to do.

Dinah had arrived as well. She wanted to be there as support for Ollie, Roy and Jade.

With the four adults present they locked themselves in Ollie's office room. The four of them wanted to make a compromise with each other before they finally spoke with Jade and Roy.

And from what Roy and Jade heard behind that closed door a compromise wasn't coming anytime soon. Ollie narrowed his eyes and slammed his fist on the table. "You're being selfish," he said to Serena. "You're not thinking about them."

"Is selfish is what I need to be to protect my daughter than so be it," Serena said evenly. "Jade is nowhere near ready to have a child."

"But you shouldn't force her into having an abortion." Dinah said softly.

"Excuse me but I did not ask for your opinion," Serena said coldly. "You have no say in this whatsoever."

"Dinah belongs here," Ollie growled. "She is my fiancé and cares about Roy as if he was her own flesh and blood son."

"Yes, well that son of yours is the one that got my daughter pregnant. Excuse me for not trusting his parents who have clearly raised him the wrong way," Serena sneered. "He clearly gets this type of behavior from you, Mr. Queen. You and your are both trash."

Dinah raised her fist. "Hold on just a minute. Who are you to insult--"

"Let it go, Dinah," Ollie said calmly, placing a hand on Dinah's shoulder. He looked at Serena. "We need to place personal feelings aside and focus on the real issue at hand."

Serena crossed her arms. "I still say Jade is to young to have a child."

"Be reasonable, Serena," Luke said. "You were only a couple of years older than Jade is now when you had her."

Serena glared at Luke. "And look at what happened to me. You left me all alone with a baby on the way," Serena hissed. "Besides, you haven't even been in Jade's life for a whole year. Your input means nothing."

"That's not fair."

"Life is not fair, Luke," Serena exasperated. "Let's think clearly here. If Jade has a baby what really is going to happen? She'll be at home with _me_. She'll need my help to raise a child. I already took care of one child, I will not do it again because some boy couldn't keep his pants on."

"If that's what this is all about then Jade can come live with me," Luke said. "I'll help her with the baby."

"But you live in New Jersey," said Dinah. "What about Roy? He wants to be with Jade and the baby. He can't be there for them if they're in New Jersey."

Ollie said in his chair and looked at them all. He folded his hands together. "That leaves us with one option..."

---

"I can't hear anything," Roy complained. "Can you?"

"I got nothing," Jade said sadly. "Roy... I'm scared."

"Don't be. Ollie promised me he wouldn't let your mom get the best of him. Our baby is safe." Roy said as he pulled her into a hug. They stood like that for awhile as they gained comfort from each other. The door opened and they separated.

Serena had her head held up high as she walked out of Ollie's office. She passed by Jade and Roy without even sparring them a glance. She quietly walked out with out a sound. Luke came out next and called Jade and Roy into the room. Before they walked in Jade stopped her father.

"Dad, what happened in there? Why did mom just--"

"You're mother... she's not happy with the agreement we made," Luke said softly. "I think it's best if she has some time to cool off."

Jade looked at the ground and nodded her head slowly. She knew her mother was upset but not that upset. Jade followed her father inside and stood beside Roy. Roy took her hand in his and gave it a little squeeze as they looked at Ollie, Dinah and Luke.

Ollie looked at Jade and spoke evenly. "Jade... you'll be staying with us from now on."

---------------------

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO BerryDrops, FairieAngelx3o, jcyz, RavenSis, imcalledkitty, TerraBB4Eva, sweetnsxy, tennisgal456, cookiesruletheworld, Royalfire14, Ace.04, Agent of the Divine One, BeastgirlRaven, SaoirseWaveglow AND Nightwing's Gurl 2023 FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.**

**NOW I KNOW A LOT OF YOU WERE PROBABLY HOPING FOR AN UPDATE YESTERDAY BUT IN ALL FAIRNESS I DIDN'T OFFICIALLY PROMISE TO UPDATE ON SATURDAY, I SAID MAYBE. STILL SORRY THOUGH.**

**OTHER NEWS... UM... NOT EXACTLY SURE HOW TO SAY THIS BUT THE NEXT CHAPTER MAY BE COMING A LITTLE LATE, I HAVE TO WORK ON MY OTHER TWO STORIES WHICH I HAVE BEEN IGNORING. SHAME ON ME. BUT DON'T WORRY, THIS STORY IS MY MAIN CONCERN AND I'LL BE WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER WHILE I'M WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER FOR ****Teen Titans Go**** AND ****When We Were Young**

**NEXT CHAPTER: IF YOU THOUGHT TELLING THE PARENTS WERE HARD IMAGINE TELLING YOUR FRIENDS.**

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	5. Next big thing

It was a beautiful weekend in September but Roy couldn't help but feel frustrated as he searched his room for his car keys. He just couldn't seem to remember where he put it. Roy stuck his head under his bed and began to search there in hopes of finding his keys.

Jade passed by his door with her fingers curled around a mug filled with orange juice. Upon seeing Roy with his head under his bed she backed up and did a double take. A smirk formed on her lips as she got a good look at his behind and she leaned against the doorframe.

"Looking for something?"

Roy jumped a bit from the surprise of hearing her voice and his head hit the bed. He groaned and rubbed his head to try and ease the pain. He sat on the floor and looked up at Jade's smiling and amused face.

"Jade, you're up early." he said absently as he tried to think of where he put his car keys.

It had only been a couple of days of Jade living with him and yet everything seemed so natural, as if nothing had changed. Roy wasn't the least bit surprised to find out Jade liked to sleep in and he was rather content with spending his afternoons with her on the couch and a bowl of popcorn.

"Yeah, well, I invited Jenn over so I thought I'd go and get dressed."

Roy smirked. "Oh? But I rather like what you're wearing now."

Jade's cheeks flushed red. She was wearing a baggy jersey that belonged to Roy that was long enough to cover her pink shorts. She had on white socks and her hair was up in a messy ponytail. It was almost ten a.m. so it was common of Jade to be wearing her pajamas, especially since it was the weekend.

"Uh... you never answered the question?" Jade said abruptly as she tried to change the subject.

"I was gonna go and meet the guys for a game of basketball but I can't find my car keys anywhere."

"You mean these car keys." Jade said smugly as she jingled the keys in her hand. She placed her mug filled with juice on the dresser near Roy's bedroom door and smiled at him.

Roy's mouth was agape. "Where did you find those?"

"On top of the kitchen counter...," Jade smirked at him. "You must have left them there this morning when you had breakfast."

"Wait a second... did you know I was looking for my keys?" Roy asked with suspicion.

Jade giggled and nodded her head.

"If you knew how come you let me continue to look for them?"

"Because it was fun."

Roy scowled at her and held out his hand. "Give 'em."

"No way," Jade said as she grasped the keys in her hand. She smiled a seductive smile. "If you want these keys then you have to do something for me."

"And what exactly is that something?" Roy asked with a husky voice as he walked closer to her, his face inches away from hers.

"I think you know." Jade said before grabbing a fistful of his shirt and pulling his lips upon hers.

Roy responded with eagerness and his hand went to her hair, his fingers getting tangled with the black strands. His other hand traveled from her cheek and down her arm until resting on her wrist. Using his other hand he gently pulled her hair back to expose her neck. His lips attached to her neck where he nibbled and licked. Jade let out a gasp and Roy knew he hit the right spot. He smirked inside and his hand on her wrist went to her hand and he snatched the keys away. Roy pulled away and smirked.

Jade gaped at him. "You prick..."

"Yeah, well, I'm a prick who got his keys back." Roy said smugly.

Before Jade could respond to his comment they heard the doorbell ring. Jade instantly forgot about Roy and rushed out of the room.

"It must be Jenn!" she said excitedly.

Roy fought not to roll his eyes. "Sure... the best friend comes and she forgets all about me," Roy grabbed his sports bag and followed slowly behind her. "Jade, don't rush. You have to take it easy now that you're pregnant."

Jade rolled her eyes and grabbed the doorknob. "Roy, don't be a nag. You know I would never do anything to purposely hurt the baby. Oh, which reminds me, don't forget to pick up some pizza on your way home. I'm eating for two now and..." Jade trailed off as she opened the door, her eyes going wide in shock. She was suspecting to see Jenn on the other side of the door... not Jenn's boyfriend.

Wally squeaked and pointed a shaky finger at her and Roy. He looked at her, then at Roy, and back again. His eyes were wide and his mouth was agape. He tried to speak but only a squeak came out.

"Wally..." Jade began calmly.

"You... and Roy... baby?" Wally couldn't even manage to speak in a complete sentence.

Roy quickly grabbed Wally and yanked the shocked red-head inside the house by the shirt. Roy closed the door and pushed Wally against it. Wally began to stammer and look back and forth at Roy and Jade. He was talking uncontrollable nonsense and Roy shook him to try and stop the baffling teen.

"Wally, calm down!" Roy exasperated and he slapped his friend across the face twice on both cheeks.

Wally whimpered and clutched his face as he looked at Roy with shocked eyes. He gave Roy his undivided attention and held back the feeling of him wanting to faint.

"Okay...," Roy began, he paused to make sure no one would interrupt. "Wally, I know you must be shocked right now--"

"That is a complete understatement," Wally cut in quickly. He paused and looked at both of his friends. "So... you two are really gonna have a... baby?... together?"

Jade nodded with a small smile on her face. "Yes, Roy and I are gonna have a baby."

"Oh," Wally nodded with a lopsided grin. "That's nice."

With that said Wally fainted and collapsed on the floor.

"That went well." Roy said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

---

It only took a few minutes for Wally to open his eyes, and when he did he saw Jade and Roy looking at him. As soon as he saw their faces Wally let out a ear-splitting scream but was quickly silenced by Jade who clamped her hand over his mouth. With Wally quiet Jade and Roy quickly took the moment to explain everything to Wally. At the end of their tale Wally stood silent for a few seconds as he absorbed the information.

"So does anyone besides me know?" Wally asked after a long pause.

"Yeah," Jade answered as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Jenn knows."

"I knew she was hiding something from me." Wally muttered under his breath but Jade caught it.

"Don't be mad at Jenn, Wally," said Jade softly. "All this is my fault. I asked her to keep it a secret."

Wally sighed. "I'm not mad. Jenn was just being a good friend."

"We're glad you feel that way," Roy said. "Because as your friends we need to ask you a favor."

"Sure," Wally agreed even though he was curious as to what he was agreeing to. "What is it?"

"We need you to keep this a secret." Roy said bluntly.

Wally's mouth was agape. He shook his head. "No, oh no, no, no. I can't do that. I'm not good with secrets."

"Wally please," Jade begged. "Roy and I don't plan on keeping this a secret for long but we're just not ready to let anyone know yet."

"But--"

"Come on, Wally," pleaded Roy. "We need you to do this for us. Please."

Wally sighed. "Fine, but you have to promise to tell the others soon."

Jade and Roy looked at each other and nodded. They then looked at Wally. "Deal."

Wally nodded his head and then smirked. "So... you two got_ busy_, eh."

Jade blushed a furious red and looked away. Roy groaned.

"What are you even doing here?" he asked, hoping his question would change the subject.

"Well, you were supposed to pick me up so we could head over to the basketball court and meet the guys but you were late so I came over here to find out what happened." Wally answered in one big breath.

"The game, I almost forgot," Roy said as he stood up and headed for the door. "Come on, Wally. We have to go."

Roy and Wally said a quick goodbye to Jade and were out the door.

"Hey, wait up," Wally said to Roy. "You don't get to change the subject that easily."

---

Roy and Wally had arrived late to the basketball game but the others didn't seem to mind as much, they just told them "to hurry up and get your butts in gear" as Vic had so nicely expressed it. They split into teams of three with Gar, Dick and Vic on one team and Wally, Roy and Alain on the other. They played basketball until they couldn't play no more. They didn't stop playing until they were tired and covered in sweat.

The court was empty today so it was just the six of them. They each had a bottle of water with them as well as a towel. Gar had completely chosen to lay on the ground with his damp towel covering his eyes, Alain was sitting on the basketball with his water bottle by his feet and Vic sat opposite of him with Dick sitting right besides him. Roy sat next to Wally.

"Dudes... I am so tired." Gar said quietly.

"I don't see why," Vic responded. "Dick and I did most of the work."

Gar responded by flipping Vic off with the middle finger, he was too tired to do anything else.

"Hey, Roy," Dick began. "What took you and Wally so long to get here?"

Roy froze and Wally gulped.

"You know... come to think of it you two did get here pretty late." pointed out Alain.

"Well... I... we," Roy paused and calmed is nerves. If he looked nervous and began to stutter he knew that would only bring more questions. "We stopped to grab a bite to eat before we came."

"Really," questioned Vic as he rose an eyebrow, growing suspicious. "What you'd get?"

"Burgers."

"Pizza."

Wally and Roy spoke at the same time and said two completely different answers. Silence fell in the group and even Gar had rose to look at the two boys with red hair. Roy gave Wally a look that told him that he would take care of the situation.

"I got a cheeseburger," Roy explained. "Wally had pizza."

Alain held the gaze of Roy. He knew Roy and Wally better than Dick, Gar and Vic did. He could tell something was up, and by the looks of things Roy had no intention of slipping a hint as to what it may be. Roy was good when it came to a poker face.

Wally on the other hand was not. The red head seemed nervous, as if the slightest move would make him jump. He was sweating, and it wasn't because of the heat. Wally was fiddling with his fingers and casting his eyes in any direction he could, looking away from his friends.

"Wally."

Wally made eye contact with Alain and it was at that moment he knew he slipped.

Alain smirked and leaned forward coolly. "You okay? You seem kind of nervous."

"Nervous," Wally said a little too loudly to be normal. He caught himself and lowered his voice. "Why would I be nervous?"

"I don't know, you just seem kind of jumpy," Alain said. "Almost as if you were hiding something."

Wally stood up abruptly. "What's with all the questions, hmm? So what if I'm jumpy. Whoopie-flippin'-freakin'-doo! That doesn't mean I'm hiding something. Who's to say you're not hiding something. Why don't we talk about that? Why are we even talking at all? We're supposed to be playing basketball. That's what I came here for, I came to play some ball, not talk. And you know what, since were not playing any ball I'm going home. Yeah, that's right, I'm out! Screw you guys, I'm goin' home!"

With that said Wally used his fingers to point in the opposite direction and he ran from the court, Roy glaring at him as he did so. The others were left in a stunned silence which was broken by Gar.

"Damn, Wally gets more and more like a wuss everyday."

---

"You should have seen the way Wally reacted, Jade," Roy said as he ran his fingers through Jade's long mane of hair. The two were cuddling on the couch with Jade resting her head on Roy's chest as they watched an old film. "I swear, for a minute there I thought he was gonna expose our secret."

"But he didn't," Jade said. "Everything worked out."

"Yeah," Roy scoffed. "This time. Who's to say next time Wally won't slip at the mouth. Today we were lucky but next time we might not be."

Jade sighed and blinked her weary eyes. She knew Roy had just brought up a very good point. "You're right... So, what should we do?"

"What do you want to do?"

"To be honest I'm not ready to tell them... but I know we have to."

"So you want to tell them?"

"We don't really have a choice but to tell them," Jade sighed and sat up. "I'll go get the phone."

---

Dick sighed and rolled over on the bed. He rested his chin on the palm of his hands and looked gleefully over at Kori. Dick was over at her house and the two were spending some time in her room while working on some unfinished homework. Lucky for Dick he had finished all his homework, but unfortunately Kori still had to finish up her English homework.

Kori was sitting at her desk, her eyes glued to the pages of a book assigned to her by Mr. Malchoir. She peeked a glance over at Dick and saw him staring at her with a large smile on his face.

Kori lowered her book and looked at him. "What?"

"You look really sexy while you read." Dick answered cheekily.

Kori marked her page in her book and set it down on her desk. "Now I would take that as a compliment but I think you just said it because you want something."

"Oh no I mean it," Dick said, the smile never leaving his face. "But you are right, I do want _something_."

"And just what would that something be?" Kori asked as she smiled back at him.

"A kiss."

"Hmm...," Kori put a finger to her lip to make it seem as if she was considering his request. She smiled a sultry type of smile at him. "I think I can do that."

She went over to give him a peck on the lips and she did just that but when she pulled away Dick captured her lips once more and held her there. She melted into the kiss and Dick pulled her on to his lap. Just as Dick was about to up things up a little Kori's cell phone began to ring.

Kori reluctantly pulled her lips away. "My phone..."

"Ignore it." Dick said briskly as he pulled her back into the kiss.

The phone continued to ring and Kori pulled away.

"One second... this will only take one second," Kori assured him as she flopped on the bed, laying on her stomach, and grabbed her phone which was on top of the dresser by her bed. "Hello--Dick, stop it." Kori scolded as she slapped Dick's hand away. "Hey, Jade..."

---

The next day finally came and with it so did Kori, Dick, Raven, Gar, Vic, Karen, Alain and Toni who all waited impatiently in the living room of Roy's home. They had all received a call last night from Jade asking them to come over to Roy's house at three o' clock tomorrow.

They were all here, but when they arrived Jade and Roy were not. Jenn and Wally had greeted them at the door and allowed them entrance. They told them to go wait in the living room while they went up stairs to go tell Roy and Jade that they had arrived.

That was fifteen minutes ago.

Toni drummed her fingers against her arm and her eyes flew open in frustration. "What is taking those four so long?!"

"Easy there, Toni," said Raven, her voice calm. "I'm sure they will come down any minute now."

"I wonder what it is that they want to tell us," said Karen. "Whatever it is it must be big."

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about us now, would you?" asked Wally, suddenly appearing behind the couch were Karen, Vic, Kori, and Dick sat.

"Dammit, Wally," Karen seethed as she glared at him. "Don't do that! I hate it when you sneak up on us. You're too fast for your own good."

"Aw," Wally pretended to look wounded by Karen's words. "That really hurts, Karen."

"Enough, Wally," Jenn said sternly as she walked besides him. "You're not making the situation any better."

"I'm just trying to lighten up the mood."

"Just save the jokes for later okay."

"Hey you two," cut in Toni from where she sat on the love seat with Alain and Gar. "Didn't anyone ever tell you two that it's rude to hold a secret conversation in front of others."

"What's this meeting all about, Jenn?" Raven asked as she leaned back on the arm chair.

"It's not my place to say," Jenn said with a sigh. "Jade and Roy will tell you... as soon as he gets her to come down."

It was another three minutes until Roy practically dragged Jade downstairs and into the living room. They faced the others and saw the looks of curious faces being emitted from their friends. They saw the nod given to them by Jenn and the thumbs up given to them by Wally, giving them the strength they needed to continue. The silence around them was so quiet and nerve racking that Roy and Jade decided to just end it all.

"Jade and I have something to tell you all..." Roy began and he nudged Jade to continue.

Jade cleared her throat and smiled sweetly. "I'm pregnant. Roy and I are gonna have a baby."

And just like that the weight on their shoulders was lifted. The burden of carrying the secret was over and both Jade and Roy actually felt relieved. But when no response was heard they began to become concerned about their frozen-in-place friends.

"Uh... guys?" questioned Wally with an eyebrow raised.

Karen and Toni jumped to their feet and seized Jade by the arms and pulled her off her feet. Jade made a sound of protest as she was lead away by Karen and Toni while Kori and Raven followed closely behind. Roy gave Jenn a questioning glance but she merely mouthed "don't worry" to him and walked off in the direction the girls went in.

Roy sighed and looked over at his remaining friends who remained in the living room. They were so still and quiet he could have sworn they were statues. Roy shrugged and left the room, heading up the stairs.

Dick blinked. "Did I hear what I think I heard?"

"Yup." Alain nodded.

"Dude..." Gar was speechless.

Vic released a breath of air he had been holding. "Wow."

Complete silence and then utter chaos occurred as the boys raced each other up the stairs after Roy.

Wally chuckled. "That went well." he said as he slowly followed behind the direction the boys went in.

Dick, Vic, Gar and Alain were acting like crazy mall shoppers rushing to a sale. They pushed and fought each other up the stairs, each one of them trying to get to Roy first. Gar tripped and Alain was pushed into the wall. Dick and Vic took the lead. They raced each other to Roy's door and an entanglement of limbs occurred when Vic and Dick pushed through the door of Roy's bedroom at the same time. Vic pushed his way through, causing Dick to fall on the floor, and rushed over to Roy. Dick picked himself up and did the same followed by Gar and Alain. The four of them blurted out questions and Roy looked at Wally for help. Wally shook his head and laughed at the doorway.

"Guys! One question at a time!" Roy shouted.

Some how that did the trick and the boys went quiet.

They sat around the room like obedient children with curious eyes and eager to listen. Roy sat at his desk and all eyes were on him. Alain and Dick sat on the bed while Gar, Vic and Wally sat on the floor. Roy told them the whole story, skipping over some minor details that he felt he couldn't tell without Jade's consent, and before any one of them knew it the story was over.

"So you're really gonna be a dad?" Dick asked as his mind tried to rope in the idea of one of his closest friends being a father while still in high school.

"Yup." Roy nodded.

"And I get to be the godfather right?" Wally asked with glee in his eyes.

"Uh...," Roy scratched his head. "We'll talk about that later."

"So how is it living with your girlfriend," Alain asked. "It must be weird."

"To be honest it feels natural," Roy confessed. "It's like barely anything has changed at all."

"I wonder why." Gar said suggestively while wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

"Gar, you perve," Vic said. "No wonder why Ra--"

"Shut up, Vic!" Gar shouted as he tackled his friend.

---

"Are you sure you want to do this," Karen asked gently as she handed Jade a glass of water. The girls had chosen the kitchen as their conversation spot and were helping themselves to the treats in the refrigerator. "Being a mother at such a young age is a huge responsibility."

"Roy and I have talked things over and we both agree that having a baby now is a huge responsibility," said Jade. "But we are one hundred percent positive that we want to keep our child."

"So... what's it like being pregnant?" Toni asked as she looked at Jade with curious filled eyes.

"I don't know... it's hard to explain," Jade said as she placed a hand over her stomach. "It's like having an Easter basket filled with emotions. I can be happy one second and completely terrified the next."

"Have you thought about any names?" Kori asked.

Jade shook her head. "No, not yet. Roy and I haven't even mentioned name ideas to each other."

"I always thought the came Leon was nice," Raven muttered absently as she played with the straw to her drink. She froze as realization of what she just said dawned on her and her cheeks turned redder than a cherry. "I mean--"

"Well, well, well," Jenn began suggestively. "Lookie who has a crush."

The other girls giggled..

Raven pulled her hood above her head. "Shut up."

---

It was Monday so that meant that the teenagers of Jump City were back in school for the time being. The students reluctantly went through the doors of Jump City High School and clung on to the hope that the week would go by as fast as possible so the weekend would come once more.

Jade didn't seem to mind as much through when she began to feel sick she had a change of opinion. Jade was in the girls bathroom within a blink of an eye. Jenn followed suit and Kori, Raven, Karen and Toni stood outside to make sure no girl would enter the bathroom while Jade was in there.

The halls were empty due to it being a lunch period so when Jade and Jenn emerged the girls spoke freely.

"How are you feeling, Jade?" Kori asked as she rubbed Jade's back and offered a shoulder to lean on.

"Horrible." Jade muttered.

"Well morning sickness will do that to a girl," Raven said dryly as she handed Jade a bottle of water. "Drink this."

Jade did as she was told and drank the water eagerly, desperate to get the foul taste out of her mouth.

"Better?" Jenn asked while looking concerned towards Jade.

"Much," Jade said. "Do I look okay?"

"You look fine," said Toni. "... And if anyone ask we can always lie and say you had a hangover."

Karen rolled her eyes and waved her hand. "Come on girls, lunch is waiting."

They walked towards the outdoors lunch area and chatted freely, completely unaware that some one had heard their conversation.

Kitten came out of hiding from behind the vending machine around the corner to the girls bathroom. A smirk was plastered on her face and her eyes were filled with wickedness.

"Morning sickness huh," Kitten mumbled quietly to herself. She laughed and took out her cell phone. "Ruining their lives is going to be easier than I thought."

---

The school day was finally over and Dick, Kori, Karen, Vic, Gar, Raven, Wally, Jenn, Roy, Jade, Toni and Alain were all making their way towards the school's back entrance. If they went out by the back entrance they would be able to get to the school's parking lot quicker.

"So what do you say, Raven," began Gar. "Are you finally gonna take a ride on my sweet moped?"

"For the last time, Gar, no." Raven exasperated.

"You better not ask again, Gar," joked Wally. "Or she may just key your moped."

"I don't care if she pops the tires," said Vic as he rubbed his hands together. "I just wanna get some pizza."

"Just as long as we get something suitable for Jade," reminded Roy. "I don't want her getting sick again."

"You don't have to be so overprotective of me."

"But I like being overprotective." Roy said cheekily as he wrapped an arm around Jade's waist and pulled her closer to him.

They opened the school's back doors and were blinded by lights.

"What the hell?!" Toni yelled angrily as she shielded her eyes from the flash of a camera.

More than a dozen members of the press and paparazzi were blocking their way into the school parking lot. Cameras flashed and people with notepads and tape recorders asked questions.

"Roy Harper! Roy Harper! Is it true that you got a girl pregnant?!"

"Is she the one?! The girl on your arm, is she the one you got pregnant?!"

"Does your foster father know?!"

"How will this affect Oliver Queen's business?!"

Jenn and Alain quickly pulled the doors back and closed them.

"Shit," Roy cursed under his breath. "How the hell did the press find out about this so fast?"

"Well high school does have a big pile of gossip just itching to be heard."

They all turned their heads towards the voice and saw Kitten standing there looking smug.

"Just what is that supposed to mean?" Alain asked while glaring at the blonde headed girl.

"Oh nothing," Kitten said innocently as she twirled a strand of hair. "Just that I may have overheard a certain conversation by the girl's bathroom."

"You mean this is your fault?" Karen asked referring to the reporters and cameras, her hands balling into fist.

"Technically it's Roy's fault for getting Jade knocked up." Kitten said calmly.

Jade wanted to tell Kitten off, she wanted to insult her but when she opened her mouth a broken sob came out instead.

"It's a real shame isn't it, Jade," Kitten jeered. "To be pregnant in high school. I can only imagine what people will think of you now. You'll probably be known as the school's slut. Guys will just line up to wait by your door and--"

"Shut up," Jade cried, her arms shaking and tears springing to her eyes. "Just... just shut up!"

Jade ran past Kitten with tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Jade, wait!" Jenn called after her but Jade had no intention of stopping. Jenn was about to run after her but stopped when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head and saw that it was Roy.

"I'll go after."

With that said Roy ran from their sight to go follow Jade. Kitten watched him run and laughed.

Kori glared at her. "That was low, Kitten. Even for you. What have Roy and Jade ever done to you?"

"Oh nothing," Kitten said absently as she looked at her finger nails. She smiled at Kori. "It's just so much fun to watch you and your pathetic friends suffer."

Kitten turned around and began to walk away.

"You stupid little... bitch!" Kori yelled as she lunged at Kitten and seized her by the hair.

Kori had had it with Kitten. She was done with her stepping all over her and her friends. Kori lost control. She pulled Kitten back by her hair and turned her around. Kori's hand turned into a fist and she landed a punch to Kitten's cheek. Kitten tumbled to the floor and dragged Kori down with her. The two began to struggle with each other.

"I hate you! All you do is ruin lives!"

"Get off of me you stupid slut!"

"You're a slut!"

Dick intervened and wrapped his arms around Kori's waist and pulled her off of Kitten. "Kori, let go! She's not worth it!"

"I know she's not worth it so you should let me just wipe the floor with her!"

Dick tightened his hold on Kori. When she was really angry she was a lot stronger. He had never seen her so... violent. It secretly turned him on.

"Dammit, Kori," Dick growled as he pushed her against the wall and kissed her hard. He knew this would calm her down. Dick smirked on the inside when he heard Kitten shriek in anger and storm off. Once the clink of Kitten heels were gone Dick pulled away and leaned his forehead against Kori's. He smiled at her and leaned in close to her ear to whisper something to her.. "You are so sexy when you fight."

---

Most of the students had gone home already, or they were trying to get through the horde of reporters. Either way it made the school almost empty. And it made it that much easier for Roy to find Jade. But before he could catch her she ran into the girl's bathroom.

Roy gulped. The girl's bathroom was a no man's land. Roy shook his head and swallowed his fear. He stepped inside the girls bathroom. When he stepped inside he couldn't help but freeze in place. The girls bathroom certainly was different than the boys bathroom, that was for sure. Roy shook his head and focused on the issue at hand.

"Okay, Jade, you can't hide from me so come out."

Jade did as she was told and stepped out from one of the bathroom stalls. Her face was tear stained and she looked broken.

"Oh, Jade...," Roy quickly took her into his embrace and held her close while she cried on to his chest. He stroked her hair and tried to soothe her with comforting words. "Don't cry, everything will be okay."

---------------------------

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO BerryDrops, writer-not-a-fighter, FairieAngelx3o, Comicbookfan, tennisgal456, Nightwing's Gurl 2023, Ace.04, sweetnsxy, BeastgirlRaven, SaoirseWaveglow, Agent of the Divine One, TerraBB4Eva, cookiesruletheworld, RoseXxxXThorn, RavenSis, gothchik18, ByE ByE RobIn FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. I CAN'T THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH.**

**SORRY ABOUT THE CHAPTER BEING SO LATE. I'LL TRY AND UPDATE SOONER NEXT TIME. ALSO, I'M GONNA DO ONE MORE CHAPTER DEDICATED TO ROY AND JADE AND THEN I'M GONNA CHANGE FOCUS ON TO THE NEXT COUPLE. I HOPED YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: WILL EVERYTHING FOR ROY AND JADE REALLY TURN OUT OKAY?**

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	6. Everything will be alright

_Everything will be okay._

Those were Roy's exact words earlier today. He said those words to comfort Jade but now, as he laid in bed looking up at the ceiling, he brought those words into question.

It was night time in Jump City and Roy couldn't bring himself to go to sleep, he kept dwelling on today's events and his words.

_Everything will be okay._

Thinking about it now Roy thought it to be rather foolish to have said those words. There was no promise to it, he wasn't a fortune teller who could look into the future and guarantee that. Him and Jade were still in high school, things were bound to go wrong at some point. And with Kitten around things were bound to get worst.

Roy narrowed his eyes and growled.

Kitten.

Roy hated that girl. It was because of her that Jade was hurting. It was her fault that the truth came out. High school was hard before but now, thanks to Kitten, it could only et harder.

"Poor Jade..." Roy muttered to himself.

Roy suddenly felt guilty. He had no right to say the things he said to Jade. It was a lie, all of it, and Roy felt crappy because of it.

Roy sighed. There wasn't much he could do about the situation. Since he was the adopted son of Oliver Queen the reporters and paparazzi would defiantly be on his and Jade's tail. They would have to be careful now about what they did and said in public until Ollie could get the reporters and paparazzi off their backs.

Roy's thoughts suddenly went to Ollie and he felt even more guilty. There was no doubt in Roy's mind that this would bring bad business to Ollie's company. This only made Roy feel worst.

A sudden knock at his door pulled him away from his thoughts. Roy sat up in bed and looked at the door with curious eyes, wondering if he had really heard a knock at the door. Another knock at the door confirmed his suspicion.

"Come in." Roy called with a weary voice, suddenly feeling his body grow heavy with tiredness.

Jade timidly walked into the room, her gaze low.

"Jade... what are you doing up?" Roy asked. He was rather surprised to see her up. He had passed by her room earlier, which was next to his room, and saw her in bed.

"I couldn't sleep." she answered quietly.

The hint was obvious and there was no way Roy could reject her. He moved over in bed so there was enough space for Jade. She quietly walked over to him and crawled into bed with him. Jade rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes while Roy wrapped an arm around her and closed his eyes as well.

Together they fell into a comfortable sleep.

---

The car ride to school had been a quiet one and both Jade and Roy were satisfied with that. As they neared the school's parking lot Jade heard Roy groan and she turned her head to look at him.

"What is it?"

"Take a look." Roy answered and he gestured ahead.

The school was in sight but that wasn't the only thing. Cameras, reporters and paparazzi had surrounded thee school's front doors. They were settled for the moment but as soon as they caught sight of Roy's car they sprung into action.

"Stay close to me and don't say a word." Roy commanded. He pulled his hood up and stepped out of the car.

The reporters and paparazzi were on him in and instant. Roy paid them no heed and pushed past them as quick as possible. He opened the car door on the passenger side and extended his hand to Jade. She took it and when she did Roy pulled her to her feet and close to him. He securely wrapped an arm around her waist and lead her through the horde of people and to the school's front doors. Jade kept her head bowed and stayed close to Roy. The last thing she wanted was to get separated and lost in this horde of people. They absolutely appalled her with all their questions and the way they followed them with those damn cameras. How Roy made it this far Jade had no idea.

Eventually they made it to the front doors of the school and stepped inside. The reporters and paparazzi couldn't venture any further due to the security guards Mr. Wilson had posted in front of the school.

Jade and Roy entered the school hand in hand.

People chatted animatedly amongst each other but as soon as Roy and Jade entered the halls the conversations dropped and the teenagers all stared. Jade gulped and she felt Roy tug at her hand. They continued to walk down the hall surrounded by silence and stares.

The stares continued, but the silence did not.

A pair of girls whispered and pointed. "Aren't they..."

"Hey, it's the girl that got knocked up..."

"It must be a scam for publicity..."

"Man, I am so glad I'm not him..."

"I'm so glad I'm not her..."

This, among many other comments, were heard.

Jade bit her lip and timidly looked up at her boyfriend. "Roy..."

"Just ignore it." Roy said firmly and he squeezed her hand tighter.

They stepped into their first period class room before the bell rang and took their seats. As they sat down their classmates stared and whispered. The only good thing about it was that their friends were there.

"Hey," Jenn placed a hand on Jade's shoulder. "How you holding up?"

"It's horrible, Jenn," confessed Jade. "First the paparazzi and now the school. It's like everyone is against us."

"Well we have your backs." Wally said.

"Yeah," said Gar. "We're here to help."

Roy sighed. "Thanks for the offer guys but I don't think there's much you can do."

Someone began to whisper behind them.

"Hey look, it's Roy Harper and Jade Nguyen."

"If I were them I don't think I would be able to show my face in school again."

Roy rubbed his temples in annoyance and Jade buried her face in her hands.

Toni and Karen had enough and rose from their seats so they could stand in front of the classroom.

"Okay listen up and listen good," began Toni in a strong voice. "This is high school and shit happens. It's not Jade's or Roy's fault that they got pregnant."

"They didn't do it on purpose it was an accident," said Karen as she glared at the class. "None of you have the right to judge them so stop acting like bastards and leave them alone."

The room fell into a stunned silence.

One boy from the back glared at them. "And what are you two gonna do if we don't? You're just a couple of chicks!"

Vic and Alain instantly stood up and were standing by their girlfriends sides within seconds.

"Two chicks with a pair of boyfriends who would do anything for them and their friends." Alain said darkly as he cracked his knuckles.

"And it would be wise for you not to mess with us." Vic said venomously as he crossed his arms and glared.

"Oh no, no, no, no," Mr. Mod shook his finger as he stepped into the room. "There will be none of that in my classroom. Now you four take your seats." he said. He then pointed at Roy and Jade. "And you two, go to the principals office. Now."

"But we didn't do anything." protested Roy.

"Tuff cookies kid, now go."

Roy mumbled something under his breath about idiotic teachers and stood up from his seat. He took Jade's hand and walked out the door mumbling some more.

"Hey! I heard that!"

Roy and Jade had already closed the door behind them when Mr. Mid said that so they didn't really hear his comment. They arrived at the principals office in no time and were furious at who they saw there.

"But, Mr. Wilson, you have to do something! Look at my face! Kori Anders did this to me!" Kitten shouted while pointing at her bruised cheek.

"I am very sorry, Miss Moth, but there is no proof--"

"Proof! Do you not see my face?! What, do you think I did this to myself?"

"Miss Moth, I do not have the time for this," Mr. Wilson said irritability. "Leave my office. Now."

Kitten instantly backed down and grabbed her back-pack. She made her way to the door and that's when she saw Roy and Jade. She smirked at them. "Well, look who decided to show their faces."

"Go to hell, Kitten." Jade snapped as she took Roy's hand and pulled him towards the principal's office.

They stepped inside Mr. Wilson's office and saw him sitting at his desk, his chin resting above his folded hands. His gaze was cold.

"Sit," he commanded in a stern tone of voice. Roy and Jade obeyed without hesitation. Mr. Wilson leaned back in his big, black, leather chair and stared at them for a long while. Some time passed before he spoke again. "It has come to my attention that you two are... expecting... This factor doesn't bother me in the slightest. I've had a number of students become pregnant in the past but none of them ever had more than a dozen members of the paparazzi surrounding school grounds!"

"Mr. Wilson--"

"Don't! All this pres is making me seem like an irresponsible principal," growled Mr. Wilson as he slammed his fist against the desk. "I don't care how or what you do, just get those damn reporters off of my school grounds. It's your fault that they are here. Fail to do this and I will have you two expelled from my school before you can even blink. Do I make myself clear?"

Roy and Jade nodded numbly and said nothing.

"Good," Mr. Wilson said in a calm voice and he straightened his tie. "You two may leave now."

Roy and Jade rushed for the door and practically ran for the hallway.

Jade looked at Roy with concerned eyes. "Roy--"

"Don't worry about a thing, Jade," he assured her. "As soon as lunch starts I'll give Ollie a call and he'll take care of this whole mess."

---

The morning had caused a great deal of stress on both Jade and Roy. The incident with Mr. Wilson had almost completely drained them alone and even though Roy had called Ollie only moments ago and received good news from him, Ollie had managed to get a restraining order of sorts on the reporters and paparazzi, Jade and Roy were moping. No one could blame them for being gloomy, had they been in their shoes they would have felt the same way. The others had tried to cheer the couple up but nothing they said or did helped. So, with a dejected sigh, they gave up on trying to spread cheer to the couple and they all ate their lunch in silence... Until Kitten and the entire cheerleading squad showed up.

"Pardon us but we need to speak with Jade, Jenn and Kori for a minute," said Kitten with a smile on her face, a smile that only meant bad news for her foes. "It's something concerning this years cheerleading squad."

Like Kitten expected, Jade, Jenn and Kori stood up so they could speak in privacy. Kitten made sure to lead Jade, Jenn and Kori all the way to the other side of the lunch room that way their friends wouldn't interfere.

Once they were a good distance away Kitten stopped and faced Jade, Jenn and Kori, that same smile lingering on her face.

"Okay, I'll bite," said Jenn reluctantly. "What's this all about, Kitten?"

"Why cheerleading of course!" Kitten announced and she did a quick cheerleading pose to emphasis.

Kori looked puzzled as she cocked her head to the side and rose a brow. "Why would you want to talk about cheerleading? Cheerleading doesn't start until October like all other extracurricular activities."

Kitten glared at Kori venomously. The bruises on her cheek, which wasn't visible now thanks to the make-up Kitten applied to it after her talk with Mr. Wilson, stung like hell. Kitten put her hatred for Kori aside, there would be plenty of time to make her suffer later Kitten told herself mentally, right now Jade and Roy were her victims. "I'm very well aware of that, Kori, but a pressing matter has been brought up that needs instant attention."

"And what matter would that be, Kitten?" Jade asked as she crossed her arms, her voice stoical due to the cheerleading captain part of her coming into play.

"I was hoping _you_ would ask, Jade," Kitten sneered. "After all it does concern you."

"Me," Jade questioned. "What about me?"

"It's just a small snag really," Kitten said indifferently as she examined her nails. "The girls and I were just concerned since you are... We're just worried you won't be able to fulfill your duties as captain now that you're pregnant. We think you should graciously hand over your position to someone who's more qualified."

"So you don't want me to be captain anymore," Jade asked as she looked at her so-called teammates. "Do you all feel this way?"

"It's nothing personal, Jade," said one girl timidly. "But Kitten's right. You can't be a cheerleader while you're pregnant."

Jade cast her eyes to the ground. She should have known this coming. She herself had thought about it, if only once. Jade knew she wouldn't be able to stay a cheerleader for long while in her condition, she just thought she had more time though, that maybe she would be able to last a month or two. Those were false hopes now thanks to Kitten.

"So who exactly did you have in mind to replace Jade?" Jenn angrily asked as she glared at her teammates. She herself believed that most of the time cheerleaders could be bitches but this was a low, it was like kicking someone while they're down.

Cindy smirked and stepped forward. "I vote for Kitten to be our new team captain."

"I second that notion." Mandy said dryly, looking quite bored.

"You dirty little snake! You planned this all along." Kori said angrily as pointed an accusing finger towards Kitten.

Kitten smirked. "Why, Kori, I have no idea what you're talking about. But I graciously accept the role of team captain."

"Think again, Kitten," Jade said furiously, her eyes narrowed. "You can't just assume the role of team captain, not when there are two nominees."

"What are you talking about? I'm the only one nominated."

Jade grinned and raised a hand towards Jenn. She smiled and cheerfully announced; "I nominate Jenn to be the new team captain!"

"I second that notion!" Kori said happily.

Jade winked at Jenn. "Do you accept, Jenn?"

Jenn never wanted to be captain, heck - in the beginnings she never even wanted to be a cheerleader, but she became one anyways because of Jade. If Jade was leaving the team then she wanted to leave too, but she couldn't because that would mean that Kitten would win, and that was just something Jenn couldn't allow. Jenn sighed, she wished Kori could have been nominated but Kori was far to inexperienced. And so, having made up her mind, Jenn grinned at the other. "I accept."

Kitten stomped her foot and glared at Jade, Jenn and Kori. Thanks to them her plan had hit a snag. Kitten clenched her fist and calmed herself down. Getting angry would solve nothing. What she needed now was for the others to vote for her as team captain. With that in mind Kitten fixed herself to look as charming as possible.

"Well then I guess that means all we have to do is vote." said Kori.

"Those of you who think Kitten should be the captain of the cheerleading team please raise your hand," Jade announced. About five girls raised their hands, Cindy being one of them. Cindy nudged Mandy in the ribs and with a sigh Mandy raised her hand as well. Once Jade had mentally counted all the hands raised she spoke again. "Those of you who would like Jenn to be the new cheerleading captain please raise your hand."

More than seven girls raised their hands.

And just like that it was decided, Jenn was to be the new cheerleading captain.

---

"So do you have any advice for me, Dick?" Roy asked as he flung his book bag over his shoulder.

After the whole cheerleading incident the girls returned to the lunch table, Jade having lost any gloom that was once inside of her before. The girls told the others about what happened, everything from the smirk on Kitten's face all the way to the priceless look on her face once the votes were counted. This caused everyone to laugh and smile, including Jade, which made Roy laugh and smile as well.

The talk somehow lead to a different topic having to deal with Jade and Roy's unborn child. Wally had made a comment about how Jenn would have little time to babysit now which brought worry into the eyes of Jade. Jade and Roy confessed about how little they knew about dealing with babies which sparked a happy glint into Kori's eyes. She had an idea.

Kori's idea was to give Jade and Roy actual experience with a child. How? By letting them babysit her little brother Ryan this afternoon.

Luan was in a need of a break so Kori volunteered to watch Ryan. Kori planned to bring Roy and Jade along so they could babysit with her and she could coach them. This was just what Roy and Jade needed. They needed experience like this if they were to raise their child.

It was now the ending of the school day and Dick found himself by Roy's locker. Roy was hoping he could get some tips from Dick before he went over to Kori's house to help out with Ryan.

Dick scratched his head. "Advice, huh?... To be honest I don't think I can really give you any. Ryan and I got along from the start. He never gave Kori and I much trouble when we had to babysit for him during the summer."

"Well how about what he likes? Is there a toy I can give him if he starts to get fussy?"

"You should ask Kori about that one, she would know."

"But--"

"Roy, would you stop worrying," Dick exasperated. "You'll be fine."

"Right... thanks, Dick."

Much to Kori, Roy and Jade's surprise Raven had decided to join them during babysitting. She said she was there merely to watch but the others thought otherwise due to the book in her hands. Raven had a good view of the show that was about to unfold as she sat comfortably on the couch.

Kori walked into the room carrying Ryan in her arms. She smiled at Roy and Jade.

"Oh wow! He's even cuter than before." said Jade as she recalled a visit to Kori's house which took place during the summer. It was during that visit were Jade met Ryan for the first time.

"Would you like to hold him, Jade?" Kori asked kindly.

"Me? I couldn't possibly..."

"Sure you can," Kori said with a small smile. "It's easy."

"Um... well, if you think so..."

Kori carefully handed Ryan over to Jade and before Jade knew it she was holding a baby. This was the first time she had ever held a child and she could feel herself growing warm inside because of it. It truly was an enriching experience for her.

Jade was pulled from her daze at the sound of the telephone ringing.

Kori picked up the phone and clicked it on. "Hello?... Komi, I'm busy right now... Okay, fine," Kori sighed and turned her head to the side to look at Jade and Roy. "I have to go upstairs real quick to check on something for Komi. I'll be right back."

"Uh, okay." Jade said, sounding unsure.

Kori smiled. "Don't worry, you two will be fine. And if anything Raven is right here and I'm upstairs."

With the said Kori took her leave upstairs. Once she was gone Ryan made a whining noise, followed by another whining noise, and another, and another until he broke out into a fit and began to cry.

"Oh no, what's wrong with him," Jade asked worriedly, glancing at Raven for answers. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Beats me," Raven said with a shrug. "Ryan never cries just to cry."

"Maybe he's hungry." suggested Roy, cringing as Ryan cried louder.

"No," Raven said blandly. "Luan fed him before we got here."

"Maybe it's his diaper."

At this Roy and Jade looked at Raven.

"I don't do diapers." Raven said darkly.

"I guess that means one of us is going to have to change him." Jade said as she looked at Roy with puppy dog eyes.

"What? You don't mean to tell me that _I _should change him." Roy said in a panicked voice.

"Please, Roy," begged Jade. "I promise to make it up to you."

"Uh... alright, fine."

Jade carefully placed Ryan on the changing table set up in the living room. She didn't notice it before but there was a lot of baby stuff in the living room: toys, diapers, bottles, etc...

"Okay, here I go," Roy said with a voice that was both timid and awkward. He undid the pants Ryan was wearing and then he undid the diaper. Roy rose a brow. "Hey, he doesn't need to be changed. I wonder why he was cr--"

Jade's hands flew to her mouth and Raven suppressed a laugh as best she could. Before Roy could finish his sentence Ryan had stopped crying but the water works didn't end there. Roy's white shirt now had a big yellow stain on it.

Ryan giggled and smiled in rapture.

---

It was Saturday now and little by little the week had gotten better for Roy and Jade. They weren't the famous topic of the media so much and the school was beginning to treat them like people rather than some painting in a museum which was to be stared at all day. But Roy's good mood wasn't because of that. Roy was jubilant because today was the start of his new job at OQ Industries. He was more than excited to be working at Ollie's company and he wanted to look his best so he put on his best suit. Roy was dressed in a all black suit with a white collar shirt and a red tie. As soon as he was dressed he hopped into his car and drove down to OQ Industries building.

Roy found himself knocking at Ollie's office door in no time. He walked in and saw Ollie signing some papers.

Ollie smiled. "Roy, I'm glad you could make it."

"I'm just glad to be here," Roy said with a smile of his own. "I can't wait to get to work. So, what's my job? Am I gonna be your new assistant? How about the vice president? I always wanted my own office desk."

"Whoa, slow down kiddo," Ollie said quickly. "I'm running a business here. Roy, you're new here. You can't just get a high class job like that. You gotta start small and work your way to the top."

"Oh... right," Roy chuckled weakly. "Sorry about that. I was just a little eager."

"No problem, now come with me and I'll show you to your job."

Roy followed Ollie with much enthusiasm. He found it exciting to be walking down the halls of OQ Industries by Ollie's side. The respect people showed Ollie here was truly inspirational in Roy's eyes. And then they stopped at a dead-end hallway where a man stood in a grey janitor's outfit. He was rather ruggish looking with his untrimmed bread and lazy brown eyes.

"Keith," Ollie called out. "I'd like you to meet my ward Roy Harper. Roy, this is Keith. He's the janitor."

"Nice to met ya'." Keith said with a thick southern accent.

"Roy, you'll be working with Keith from now on--"

"What," Roy cried in utter shock. "You brought me here to scrub toilets?!"

"Remember what I said earlier, Roy? You start at the--"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, top and bottom, I got all that crap," Roy cut off Ollie rather rudely, but then again who can blame him for being rude. "Ollie, how could you do this to me? I don't want to be a janitor."

"I'm sorry, Roy, but either you take this job or it's no job at all."

Roy gritted his teeth and reluctantly gave Ollie an answer. "Fine."

Ollie smiled. "Good. Keith, try not to be too hard on him."

"Don't worry 'bout a thing boss. I'll take care of yer boy." Keith said.

"Alright then. I'll see you later, Roy." Ollie said before leaving so he could get back to his office. Once he was out of sight Keith looked at Roy and smirked.

"No point in dressin' fancy boy, not while you workin' with me," Keith said with a grin as he pulled out a mop and bucket from the closet door he was leaning on before. He handed the cleaning tools to Roy. "Now here's yer first assignment. Take this and go to the men's bathroom on the first floor. The floor can use a good cleanin'."

Roy reluctantly took the mop and the bucket and went to the first floor's men's room. He undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt a little. He took of his jacket and wrapped it around his waist. He then rolled up his sleeves. Taking the mop he dipped it into the bucket and slapped it onto the floor and began to scrub.

"Some job this is...," Roy grunted to himself. "I'd been better off working at McDonalds or something."

---

Six hours of non-stop labor and Roy was finally able to return home. Roy pulled himself to the sofa and collapsed face first on the soft sofa cushions.

"Hey, you're home."

Roy lazily looked up and saw Jade standing there. He grunted at her.

"How was work?"

Roy buried his face into the sofa cushion and made a whining noise while kicking his feet and punching the sofa.

"That bad?"

"I had to clean a _toilet_," Roy said the last word with resentment. Jade giggled at the thought of Roy cleaning a toilet. She tried to stop laughing but couldn't help herself and giggled some more. "Are... are you laughing at me?"

"No." Jade suppressed a giggle and snorted.

"Hey," Roy poked Jade in the ribs. "That's not very nice of you to be laughing at me like that. You owe me, remember?"

Jade looked at him curiously. "What?"

"Don't you remember what happened on Tuesday when we went to Kori's house," Roy said. "You said you'd repay me for changing Ryan's diaper."

"Oh yeah," Jade smiled sheepishly. "Guess I forgot. So, what do you want?"

"I don't know. I'm too tired to think."

Jade thought for a minute and when she decided what to do she snapped her fingers and sat besides Roy. Her hands went to his back and shoulders where she gently began to rub. Roy moaned in delight, he did always love Jade's massages, it helped to relax him.

"Roy?" Jade said softly, wondering if he was awake or not.

"Hmm?" Roy responded lazily, feeling himself growing tired.

"I know we've been through a lot lately, and that so far we've suffered, but... well... I don't know if this means anything but I'm glad that I'm enduring this with you. I really do love you, Roy. And I believe you when you say everything will be alright," Jade paused and waited for a response. "Roy?"

A light snore was emitted from the boy beneath her fingers. Jade's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Here she was bearing her feelings and Roy was sleeping.

"The nerve..." Jade clenched her fist and whacked Roy in the head, causing him to wake up with a yelp of pain.

"Ow!...," Roy said up and rubbed his throbbing head. He looked over at Jade. "What was that for?"

"For being a prick," Jade said angrily and she walked away. "I hope you enjoy sleeping alone tonight!"

Roy blinked and collapsed onto the sofa with a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "Girls..."

--------------------

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO jcyz, writer-not-a-fighter, Comicbookfan, SuPeR HyPeR chick 101, FairieAngelx3o, Royal Blue, SaoirseWaveglow, TerraBB4Eva, cryingdove, cookiesruletheworld, chittychittybangbang16, sweetnsxy, KrisSk8Gurl, tennisgal456, Agent of the Divine One, BerryDrops, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, imcalledkitty, RavenSis AND Ace.04 FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. I HOPED YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

**I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A HAPPY NEW YEARS AND I'M WISHING EVERYONE A GOOD NEW YEAR! 2008!**

**NEXT CHAPTER: WILL GAR EVER REVEAL HIS TRUE FEELINGS?**

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	7. So far away

The leaves turned orange, yellow and brown as the month of October came into play. Extracurricular activities would be starting soon and the students couldn't wait for their beloved football team to get back on the field, as well as their gorgeous cheerleaders.

The students were already well adapted to their new classes and things seemed to be going smoothly for them as well as their teachers. Mr. Malchior was no exception to this. At first the twenty-four year old felt nervous about being responsible for a group of teenagers but as the days past the more confidence he felt. The students responded well to his teaching methods and his classroom held a comfortable atmosphere.

For the month of October Mr. Malchior had decided to give the class a book to read. The book was called Their Eyes Were Watching God. He had distributed the book amongst the class a few days ago and commanded that they read chapters one and two.

It was Thursday today so Mr. Malchior decided it was best to do a 'in class discussion'. A in class discussion was when the students, and Mr. Malchior, all pulled their desk around to form a large circle. Once that was done the whole class would discuss what they read, how they felt and answer any questions that Mr. Malchior asked them.

Mr. Malchior... he was more than a teacher, he was a man. And what a man he was. His light blonde hair was pulled into a neat ponytail with his bangs hanging freely, the words would dance off his perfect lips and fill the ears of those around him in an intellectual melody and his sky blue eyes would twinkle with the light of pure happiness when one of his students would respond to him with what they learned. Many eyes belonging to female students would watch his body move as he walked about freely in the classroom. Raven's eyes would watch him most of all.

Mr. Malchior paused in his walk in the middle of the newly formed circle and looked at his class. "So, are they any thoughts about why the women who sit upon the porch talk about Janie the way they do?"

Mr. Malchior looked around the class for a raised hand, a volunteer who would answer his question, but saw none. He instead saw lazy figures hunched on their desk with half-lidded eyes, their chins resting in the palm of their hands or on their arms. The females who were formally ogling him, though he didn't know that, now looked away, desperately trying not to make eye contact because that's how the teacher would catch you and call on you to answer the question. Mr. Malchior made a dejected sigh, perhaps the book he had chosen didn't spark as much interest into his students as he had hoped it would.

But the book did spark interest in one his students: Raven Roth. And Raven hated the dejected sigh emitted from Mr. Malchior's lips. One of his caliber shouldn't ever have to sigh like that. Raven scorned her classmates for their actions, shame on them for making Mr. Malchior feel the way he did. And so, with no hesitation, she raised her hand and saw the relief wash over his face that someone had _actually _raised their hand.

"Yes, Raven." he said in that smooth accent of a London man.

"I believe the women on the porch are scornful of Janie because of her spirit and the attention she receives. The men lust after her beautiful body and long hair. The men desire Janie and that's something the women can't handle." Raven answered in her monotone.

Mr. Malchior seemed intrigued but not completely satisfied. "And what do you think fuels their scorn?"

"Why envy of course. It's clear they are jealous of her looks. And since they envy Janie so much they feel the need to bring her spirits down in hopes of appearing stronger and better. That's why they gossip about her so much, they can't stand her and they can't stand the fact that someone like her, someone who lives her own life, is praised so by the desires of men."

That's when Raven saw the twinkle in Mr. Malchior's eyes, the same twinkle he always gets when a student shows that they are learning in his class.

Mr. Malchior smiled at Raven, and only Raven. "Very good, Raven. That was a perfect answer. I'm very proud."

Raven's heart swelled with joy. Mr. Malchior, this perfect (in her opinion) man, was proud of _her_. If Raven had no control over her actions she probably would have fainted right then and there by his words.

Raven momentarily looked around the room and saw the scornful looks and envious eyes from some of the female students being directed at her. They were jealous because Mr. Malchior had praised her and not them... _just like in the book_.

"Okay everyone, let's turn our attention to chapter two of the book," said Mr. Malchior. "Who here knows what happens to Janie in chapter two?"

Once again Mr. Malchior faced black and lazy faces. It was clear to him that no one wanted to answer the question.

"Is anyone even reading the book?" Mr. Malchior asked.

No one said anything and the room remained in silence.

Raven raised her hand to answer the question in hopes that Mr. Malchior would compliment her again. She liked the feeling she got when _he _complimented her.

"Anyone besides, Raven...," Mr. Malchior said in a weary tone. It wasn't that he didn't want Raven to answer the question, it was just that he wanted his other students to participate as well. He looked around the classroom to pick a random student... "Kori, why don't you answer this one."

Kori momentarily froze. She hated it when teachers would call on her during English class. English was her worst subject. Kori loved gym: a good work-out and sports kept her in shape, she liked history: it was great learning about cultures and people who did great things, math was never a problem for her: solving equations was a breeze, government always managed to capture her attention: learning about politics wasn't as boring as it sounded and science was great: mixing chemicals and conducting experiments were always fun.

English was always the one class that she struggled in. She hated metaphors and similes. Kori always thought it would just be better if the writer would write what they saying clearly instead of using comparisons and pretty words, it would make things a lot easier.

But no matter how much distain Kori had for this subject class she could never disobey a teacher, except maybe Mr. Mod, so she gulped and emitted a nervous chuckle. "What was the question again?"

Mr. Malchior smiled. Kori wasn't the best student but she was a great girl who was willing to try. "What happens to Janie in chapter two?"

Kori paused and bit her lip as her mind dwelled on what she read.

Chapter two, chapter two... _Ugh_, she couldn't remember anything about chapter two. Why couldn't she remember anything about chapter two?

Kori's mind began to retrace it's steps through her memories. When she began reading chapter two Dick had come over. Komi was out with her friends, Raven went to her favorite café and Myan, Luan and Ryan all went out together meaning Dick and Kori had the entire house to themselves. Dick had finished reading the first two chapters first so he decided to wait around and watch Kori read until she was done. But watching was never enough for Dick.

First he watched her, then he lightly touched her. A touch would lead to a caress and a caress would always end with a kiss. That kiss would spark another kiss, and another kiss, and another... until a full blown out make-out session started. So that's why she couldn't remember anything...

Kori's cheeks flushed red as the pieces of the puzzle connected. Her make-out session with Dick distracted her from reading. _Oh_ he was so going to get a talking to after school!

"Um... in chapter two... Janie... kissed a boy." Kori finished, hoping that answer was good enough and everyone would stop looking at her.

"What was the boy's name?" Mr. Malchior asked, hoping that Kori would add on more to her answer like Raven had done.

"Uh... I think it was... Taylor... something Taylor." Kori cursed herself for not remembering the character's full name.

"Okay...," Mr. Malchior said absently as he wondered why Kori was so shy in his class. "Why did Janie kiss Taylor?"

Kori inclined her head in embarrassment and looked down at her hands. "I don't know..."

Kitten snickered. "Wow, Kori can barely answer one question. I know someone who could use a picker-upper."

Kitten and her friends laughed at this, as well as some other students in the classroom.

Kori didn't respond to Kitten's comment. She couldn't, not when she just made a fool of herself in front of the class. She felt so stupid.

Raven hated the look on Kori's face. She could tell that Kori felt bad right now. Raven glared at Kitten and the others, she opened her mouth, ready to tell them all off but before she could Mr. Malchior spoke.

"That's enough, all of you," Mr. Malchior said sternly, his voice and facial expression hard. "I will have none of that in my classroom." he said and he turned his attention towards Kitten. "Kitten, you especially have no right to talk that way with other. Your grades are below average." Mr. Malchior said before looking at Kori, ignoring the fuming Kitten who's desk was behind him. "Kori, I appreciate the fact that you made an attempt to answer my question, it means a lot to me."

Kori gave off a light smile, suddenly she didn't feel so bad anymore.

Raven saw Kori's face light up as the embarrassment she felt earlier slip away. Raven looked over and saw the fuming Kitten who was deeply angered by what Mr. Malchior said. Raven then flicked her eyes towards Mr. Malchior who went back to teaching and asking the class questions as if nothing had happened.

Raven's mind began to wander as Mr. Malchior asked questions and the students finally began to answer them. She thought about the incident that happened only moments ago. Raven thought it was most noble of Mr. Malchior to interfere on Kori's behalf. It wasn't rare that students got into verbal, as well as physical, fights with each other. It wasn't rare that teachers would often intervene. But it was new to Raven's eyes to actually see a teacher comfort the student who was hurting. Jump City High School didn't have to many teachers that actually cared so it was always rare to find one that actually did.

The bell rang alerting the students that the school day was officially over. The doors to classrooms opened and the students began to flock out in herds.

Raven walked over to Kori's desk, concern evident in her voice. "Are you okay?"

Kori put her book-bag on and sighed. "I'm alright. You don't have to worry. I'm not surprised at all that Kitten picked on me."

"She's beginning to become a bigger nuisance than she was before."

"No kidding." Kori mumbled under her breath.

"Kori," came Mr. Malchior's voice, making Kori jump. "Can I have a word with you? It's about your class work."

"Uh..." Kori looked at Raven with pleading eyes, silently begging her friend to help and get her out of this.

Raven gave Kori a light push and turned away, heading for the door. "I'll meet you outside."

Kori poked her tongue out at Raven just before she closed the door.

Raven leaned against the wall outside Mr. Malchior's door, completely oblivious that someone was watching her.

Down the hall a pair of forest green eyes watched with longing. The owner of the eyes held a secret desire to touch Raven's soft, pale skin, a desire to run his fingers through her hair and breathe in her scent.

These eyes belonged to Garfield Logan.

Gar wasn't exactly sure when these feelings bloomed inside him but they were there, he could feel them whenever he was next to _her_. Oh how he desperately just wanted to go over there and...

"Watcha doin' grass stain, spying on your girlfriend?"

Gar nearly jumped out of his skin thanks to Vic taking him by surprise. Gar placed a hand against his beating heart and glared at Vic who was looking quite smug right about now. "She's not my girlfriend."

"And she never will be if you keep standing around with me," Vic said as he pushed Gar towards the direction Raven was in. "Now go and talk to her."

"But..." Gar protested but Vic merely waved him away.

Seeing as Vic wasn't giving him much choice Gar stood up straight and walked towards Raven. Gar could feel the nerves crawling all over him like ants on a picnic. He was aware that the distance between him and Raven was closing and the last thing he wanted was to look like a fool in front of Raven because of his nerves. There was no way he was going to let his nerves stop him so Gar pushed her nerves aside and in it's place came confidence.

There was no reason to be nervous. He had talked with Raven lot's of time before, why was now so different?

The smile on Gar's face widened as he stepped by Raven's side, who was currently looking down at the floor.

"Hi, Raven. Do you think we could talk for a minute--"

The door next to them opened and Mr. Malchior and Kori stepped out.

"Don't forget, Kori," began Mr. Malchior. "You need to start reading the book until you reach chapter five."

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to read the whole chapter this time." Kori promised.

"Um, Mr. Malchior, do you think we could talk for a minute," Raven asked. "I was hoping we could talk about my work so far for your class."

"Well there's really no need to," said Mr. Malchior with a small smile. "You're and excellent student. But I guess if you're curious we can discuss a few things."

"Great because I have this thought I wanted to discuss with you concerning the book we're currently reading in class."

Gar watched as Raven and Mr. Malchior chatted with each other while they walked into his classroom and closed the door behind them. Gar couldn't help but feel jealous. Raven hadn't even noticed him yet she practically jumped when Mr. Malchior appeared.

"Hey, Gar," said Kori. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me Mr. Malchior wants to talk about your class work too."

"No... I just came by to...," Gar stopped himself from saying any more. He didn't want Kori to know the real reason why he was here. "It doesn't matter, I gotta go. Talk with you later, Kori." Gar said before running off.

Kori waved goodbye at Gar's retreating form, slightly puzzled. "I wonder what's up with him..."

---

Vic crossed his arms and shook his head with disapproval. "Man, you're pathetic."

Gar groaned and fell into his chair, slouching. "I know. You don't have to remind me."

The two were in Gar's room. They had arrived there not that long ago, both of them deciding to hang out with each other this afternoon since all of their other friends were busy; like Karen who was currently babysitting two speedy little demons who could only talk Spanish and had red hair.

"What happened to you talking to her?" Vic asked as he picked up Gar's football and sat on Gar's bed.

"I tried but that stupid pretty-boy of a teacher showed up," Gar said with hatred in his voice. "Raven totally blew me off just to talk to him." Gar crossed his arms and a frown appeared on his face. "She didn't even notice me."

"Well maybe it's time you do something to make her notice you," Vic said before tossing the football at Gar. "Catch."

Gar barely caught the pigskin in time. "How can I do that?"

Vic caught the football before he began to speak. "Listen, you like Raven. So maybe it's time you tell her that you like her. That's bound to make her notice you."

"I can't tell Raven that I like her," Gar said as he caught the ball in his hands. "I mean, how could I even do that. I can't exactly tell her right now over the phone."

"Maybe we can get Kori to help," Vic said as he tossed the ball back to Gar. "She's a girl. She should know what to do."

"That's a good plan but I don't want everyone to know."

"You told me."

"Yeah, but that's different. You're my _best _friend," Gar threw the ball back at Vic. "Any other suggestions?"

"I don't know. But I think you should tell her soon," Vic said as he caught the ball and tossed it back. "The longer you wait the harder it'll be."

Gar scoffed as he caught the ball. "Says the guy who took years to tell Karen that he liked her."

"Well at least I told Karen you chicken ass." Vic said as he threw the ball back at Gar.

Gar reached back to catch the ball but he didn't realize he had leaned back to much while still in his chair. Gar fell backwards and landed on his back on the floor. Vic bursted into fits of laughter. Gar groaned and opened his eyes, when he did what came into view was an upside version of his desk. He rolled over on his stomach and his eyes widened a bit as he looked at a picture which was on his desk. The picture was one of him and his friends at the carnival. This gave Gar and idea and he stood up energetically.

"I have the perfect idea!" Gar shouted happily with a grin on his face.

"Well don't keep me guessing, what is it?"

"I can take Raven to the carnival and tell her that I like her there!"

Vic rose a brow. "Won't that come as suspicious to her if it's just the two of you?"

"You're right... But... maybe you could come with." Gar said hopefully.

"No can do. Football practice starts tomorrow. So does cheerleading practice so if you're thinking about asking Kori forget it."

"Damn," Gar cursed under his breath as he began to think of which one of his friends would be free to invite. A light bulb went on top of his head. "I can invite Alain and Toni! It's perfect since they're together. They'll be more focused on each other than me and Raven."

Vic paused. "That's... actually a good idea. Are you sure you're not sick or anything?"

"Hey." Gar cried indignity.

Vic chuckled and in return a football was thrown at his head.

---

"Come on, Kori," Dick whined. "Would you just talk to me?"

Kori looked up from her book and glared at her boyfriend. "No. I am reading right now."

"You can read later."

"Hmm," Kori put a finger to her lip in fake thought. "Let me think about that. No."

Dick sighed and rested his head on Kori's desk. "You're mean."

"I'm mean? You're the one who keeps distracting me from doing my English homework. Dick, I told you what happened today. Mr. Malchior says I need to focus more on my English work."

"I know and I'm sorry. It's just...," Dick sighed. "I'm bored. Can't I just tell you about the book?"

"No! I have to do it by myself."

"Okay, okay." Dick raised his hands in surrender and Kori went back to reading.

A few seconds later Dick interrupted Kori.

"C'mon, Kori," Dick pleaded. "Tomorrow we have practice. Who knows when we'll be able to just sit around and do anything while we're alone."

"I'm sure we'll find time." Kori answered blandly.

"Can I just have one kiss?" Dick asked, using the look.

Kori focused her eyes on her book. "All it takes is one kiss and then you'll distract me from my homework."

"I won't. I promise."

"Liar."

"Kori," Dick said mischievously as he climbed on to the foot of her bed. "I'm gonna kiss you."

"No you're not. Not while I'm reading."

"One."

"Dick, you better not..."

"Two," Dick crawled over Kori's slim body and he took hold of her book, which was hiding her face, and tossed it aside. "Three."

His lips were upon her's in a firm but gentle kiss. He pulled away and grinned just when Kori was about to respond.

"... Damn you." Kori muttered before she yanked Dick down into a heated kiss...

One that was rudely interrupted by a baby's cry.

The kiss ended when Kori pulled away, sitting up so she could go and respond to her brother's needs. Dick raised his hand and gently pushed her back down.

"I'll deal with this one. You just wait here for me to get back."

He sealed the deal with a kiss and was out of the room with the blink of an eye.

When he returned he was greeted with a surprise.

Kori's door was locked.

Dick knocked on the door and tried to open it with no success. "Kori? How come the door is locked?"

"Because I locked it." came her amused voice.

"Well can you do me a favor and unlock it?" Dick asked.

"Sorry, I can't do that. I have to finish up the rest of my homework."

"Kori, this isn't funny. Open the door."

"What was that," Kori said as she put on her earphones to her iPOD. "I can't hear you."

"Kori? Kori! This isn't fair." Dick complained as he leaned against her door and sat down.

A few seconds later Raven passed by and saw Dick sitting on the floor. She rose a brow. "She locked you out didn't she?"

"Oh yeah."

Raven chuckled and walked off to her room.

Dick sighed and made a mental note to learn how to pick locks.

--------------------

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO writer-not-a-fighter, raeXXstarry, Lil-Mz. Sunshine, Sulan123, BerryDrops, chittychittybangbang16, jcyz, Agent of the Divine One, tennisgal456, SuPeR HyPeR chick 101, SaoirseWaveglow, cookiesruletheworld, RoseXxxXThorn, sweetnsxy, imcalledkitty, Scriblez, gothchik18, mysteree101, Starsoffire, Ace.04, AND writing4eva FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!**

**BIG, HUGE, MEGA THANKS TO Lil-Mz. Sunshine FOR BEING THE 100TH REVIEWER! AS A THANK YOU, Lil-Mz. Sunshine, I WILL ALLOW YOU TO ASK ME ONE QUESTION ABOUT EITHER Hanging By A Moment, OR THE SEQUEL TO Hanging By A Moment AND I WILL ANSWER IT HONESTLY.**

**OK, BAD NEWS EVERYONE, I HAVE MY ENGLISH REGENTS COMING UP THIS MONTH. I'M LETTING YOU ALL KNOW NOW SO IT WON'T COME AS A SURPRISE IF IT TAKES ME AWHILE TO UPDATE.**

**I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: CONFESSIONS**

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	8. Gar takes a gamble

"It's not fair," Kori whined during the last period of the day. Raven rose a brow at her, wondering what the red head was talking about. "You, Gar, Alain and Toni all get to go to the carnival while I'm stuck at cheerleading practice."

"If you really want to go then just blow off practice." Raven said dryly as she marked off any incorrect writing Kori had on her paper. Mr. Malchior had made the class get into partners and edit each other's essay's. It was supposed to help them better their writing skills.

"I really wish I could but I have to be there," Kori said as she rested her head in the palm of her hand. "I can't leave Jenn there all by herself. Plus we have cheerleading auditions."

"Well at least Dick will be on the opposite end of the field." Raven said indifferently.

Kori's cheeks burned a tomato red.

Raven snickered. "Easy to embarrass, as always."

"Oh yeah, well, what about you?" Kori countered back.

"What about me?" Raven asked in her regular monotone, her eyes still scanning for any mistakes on Kori's essay.

"Don't play dumb, Raven," Kori teased, a grin on her face, as she lowered her voice. "What is up with your romantic life?"

Raven's eyes hit a stop and flickered up at Kori in a harsh glare. "I don't have one. End of discussion."

Kori pouted. "No fair... Everyone has a romantic life, even you. You're just holding out on me."

Raven groaned. "I am not holding out on you. It's just...," Raven paused and her cheeks colored. "There's this guy..."

"Ah-ha! I knew it," Kori squealed with a huge smile and she pointed at Raven. "You have a crush. Who is it? Come on you have to tell me, please!"

"I am not telling you anything." Raven said darkly.

"Why not?"

"Because... nothing can ever happen between me and this guy."

"How come?" Kori asked softly.

"Because... me and this guy are too completely different people. It would never work." Raven finished sadly.

"Don't say that! Just because two people are different doesn't mean that they can't find happiness with each other," Kori said. "Just look around you, Raven. Look at your friends. Alain is shy and Toni is outgoing. Vic is a tech-geek and Karen is a shop addict. If it works for them then it can defiantly work for you and him. Whoever _him _is."

"Do you really mean that, Kori?" Raven asked timidly.

Kori nodded with a determined look in her eyes. "Of course I do. Raven, if you really like that guy then go for it."

"Thanks, Kori," Raven said before lowering her voice. "I think I will."

The rest of the class was spent with partners giving tips to each other on how to improve their writing and what is good so far. The occasional side conversation would pop up every now and again but the class mainly stood with the task given to them. Minutes passed and class was almost over. Mr. Malchior chose now to tell his students some good (in his opinion) news.

"Remember everyone, I want those essays typed and printed by Monday. Also, I would like to take the opportunity now to announce that I will be starting an after school club for those who are interested in poetry," Mr. Malchior said. "You'll get more details about that on Monday but for now I'd just like to wish everyone a good and safe weekend."

The students began to collect their things and head out the door one by one. As soon as Mr. Malchior left, Raven trailed after him. She was hoping to get a little bit more information about his after school poetry club. Just as she was about to tap his shoulder, someone snuck up behind her.

"Hey, Raven!"

Raven jumped in shock, causing her books to fall on the ground. She muttered some incoherent words and bent down to pick up her books. Her gaze drifted upward and she noticed that Mr. Malchior was gone. In his place was none other than...

"Gar," Raven greeted dryly, narrowing her eyes at the green haired teen. "Don't surprise me like that _ever_ again."

"Sorry," Gar said with a sheepish smile as he helped her pick up her books. Their hands touched the same book at the same time and Gar hastily removed his hand. He stood up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Um... are you ready to go to the carnival? Alain and Toni are already waiting outside."

"Sure," Raven said dryly. "Let me just dump some of my books at my locker."

"I'll go with you!" Gar said abruptly. His face then flushed with embarrassment.

Raven rose a brow. "Oookay."

They walked down the hall in silence, unbeknownst to them Kori had saw the whole thing and now a smile lingered on her face. Kori giggled and ran off to cheer practice.

---

"Next!" Jenn called out before she blew a bubble with her bubblegum. A freshman girl quickly left the field in embarrassment.

Kori rubbed her temples as one bad act after another came to the field. Kori, along side Jenn and five other cheerleaders, watched as girls ranging from freshman all the way to seniors tried out for the cheerleading squad. The other cheerleaders were on the bleachers enjoying themselves and ogling the football players on the other side of the field.

"Name?" Jenn demanded, sounding dull, as she shuffled a small stack of papers together. A long desk along with seats had been set up for the captain and six cheerleaders that were selecting the new cheerleaders.

"Oh, it's Barbara Gordon," said the orange haired girl as she unzipped her blue sweater and tossed it to the side. "You can call me Babs for short."

Jenn clicked her pen and brought it to the paper. "So be it, Babs. You can--"

"Hold it," Kitten screeched as she stood up abruptly and slammed her hands on the table before her. "I've never seen _you_ before. Do you even go to this school?"

Jenn rolled her eyes. Kitten just had to get voted in on the cheerleading committee for tryouts.

"To be honest I just transferred a few days ago." Babs said, her blue eyes a little bit fearful as Kitten glared at her.

"Kitten, enough. Leave the girl alone," Kori said harshly. Kitten bit her lip and sat down reluctantly, crossing her arms as she did so. Kori smiled kindly at Babs. "You can starts whenever you're ready."

Babs sighed in relief and smiled in return to Kori's kindness. She took a few steps back and raised her arms up high as if she wanted to touch the sky. She jumped back, her hands touching the ground to prevent her from falling as she completed flip and after.

The committee of cheerleaders liked what they saw and clapped in admiration. All except Kitten who merely rolled her eyes.

"So what," Kitten said abruptly. "She can complete all the basic stuff. But can she do a split?"

A perfect split was a hard task to complete but all of the Jump City High School cheerleaders knew how to do one perfectly, it was their speciality.

"That's actually a good question," said one of the committee girls with a challenging look as she gazed over at Babs. "Can you?"

"I can, and I will." Babs bit back as she prepared herself to make the split. She made sure to take her time, that way she wouldn't hurt herself. When her split was complete Babs could feel a tinge of pain in both her legs but she didn't care. She wanted this, she wanted to be a cheerleader.

Kori stood up from her seat and applauded Babs. "Bravo! That is an excellent split, Babs. Well done."

The other members of the committee all nodded in agreement, except for Kitten who looked like she was about to pop a vein.

"Well then," Jenn began after taking notes from all of the committee. "Looks like we just found a new member to our squad. Welcome to the team, Babs."

The smile on Babs face couldn't get any wider.

---

"So, where to next guys?" Alain asked cheerfully as he walked along side Toni and Raven at the carnival. Gar was slowly trailing behind them.

"How about the house of mirrors," suggested Raven. "It's quiet, there's barely a line and it won't make you puke after you ride it."

"Now what's the fun in that," said Toni with a wide smile. "C'mon, Raven, you gotta let loose. This is the carnival. We can save the sissy rides for when we're old. Let's go on another monster ride!"

"Sometimes you remind me of Gar," said Raven with a tired sigh. At the mention of Gar Raven turned her head to the side to look over her shoulder. She had noticed that Gar was being extremely odd during their visit to the carnival. He was quiet and withdrawn, not at all like his usual childish self. Raven stopped and turned around. "Is there something wrong, Gar?"

Gar stopped walking and looked up to see Raven looking at him. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could say a single word he felt Raven's smooth skin against his own.

Raven placed her hand against Gar's forehead, checking to see if he had a fever of some sort. Maybe that would explain his weird behavior. "Are you okay, Gar? You feel a little warm."

Raven was right, Gar was feeling warm. But it wasn't because he was sick, it was because his hormone level was driving up the wall. Gar felt as if he was about to faint. It wasn't only because of the fact that Raven was touching him in genuine concern, she usually only touched him out of annoyance, and that was so she could hit him. It was because of the fact that she was standing _so _close to him, her face inches away from his own.

Raven had peered in a little closer to see if Gar was really okay and Gar knew if he didn't do something he would lose it.

"I'm fine." Gar choked out, sounding incredibly awkward.

"Hmm... if you say so," Raven said indifferently, stepping away from Gar and walking with Alain and Toni once more. "Just don't go off and faint or something. Kori would have a field day if something happened to you."

Gar released the breath he didn't know he was holding. "That was a close one."

In all honesty Gar lied to Raven. He wasn't feeling good. Physically he was perfect. Emotionally... he could have been better.

Gar's distress was being caused by those around him. As it turns out the carnival wasn't exactly the best place to go if you wanted to tell someone that you liked them, especially when two of your closest friends had tagged along with you.

Gar's plan was simple at first, he would bring Raven to the carnival, lose Alain and Toni along the way and then tell Raven the truth. Now it wasn't so simple. Gar didn't plan on Alain and Toni sticking to him and Raven like glue.

Every time he had tried to tell Raven that he liked her Alain and Toni had interrupted him. They would suddenly show up after getting some junk food or playing a game just when Gar had finally worked up the courage to tell Raven how he really felt about her. With the way things were going Gar wasn't sure if he would ever be able to tell Raven...

But he wasn't going to quit, that was for sure. He would tell Raven the truth today no matter what.

"Hurry up, Gar," Toni called out. "We're gonna go on another rollar coaster. This one is called the Eliminator!" Toni giggled and ran off towards the entrance of the ride.

Alain gulped and then nervously chuckled. "I think she's trying to kill us."

---

"Alright, our last new member to the squad is... Babs Gordon," Jenn announced and she clapped her hands along with the other cheerleaders. Those who weren't picked didn't bother to clap at all and were already leaving. Jenn looked at the five new members to the cheerleading squad and smiled. "Okay everyone, today is Friday so I want you all to enjoy your weekend. But come Monday we'll all get down to some work. Dismissed."

The cheerleaders began to break apart, each one of them with their own plans now that tryouts and school were over.

Jenn slung her back-pack across her shoulder feeling quite relieved that tryouts were over and done with. Before she could even take two steps she was all but tackled by Kori.

"I bet you're glad that's over." Kori said cheerfully, a happy smile on her face.

"Glad is not the word," said Jenn as she linked arms with Kori. "Try ecstatic."

"They weren't that bad."

The two took a moment of silence before breaking out into a fit of laughter.

"Yeah they were."

"Well most of them anyways," said Kori. "Some of them did pretty well. I think the team is in for a good year."

"Yeah..." Jenn said softly, her happy demeanor dropping into a world of depression.

"I know it sucks that Jade isn't on the team anymore but you're still here. And it's up to you to make sure that the team doesn't turn into an army of bitches. I don't think Jade would like to see something she admired so greatly flush down the toilet."

"You're right, Kori," Jenn said proudly. "I'm going to make sure this team doesn't crap out. For Jade."

"For Jade." Kori said with a confident nod.

"Thanks for the conversation, Kori, but I gotta jet," Jenn said. "Wally is waiting for me."

"Ah, made plans with your boyfriend I see." Kori said cheekily with a sly grin.

"Speaking of boyfriends...," Jenn pointed behind Kori. "Here comes yours." Jenn giggled at the sight of Kori's blush. She waved before walking off. "Later, Kori!"

Kori waved goodbye to her fleeing friend. She was about to turn so she could go over and meet Dick but stopped at the sound of someone's voice. Kori turned her head to the side and saw the new girl known as Babs approaching her. Babs had been running, desperate to catch up with Kori, and by the time she reached the red-head she was out of breath.

"Are you okay?" Kori asked in concern.

"I'm fine," Babs said as she took in one big breath and regained her composure. She sighed and extended her hand, a smile spreading across her face. "Hi."

"Hello," Kori said with a light chuckle as she shook Babs hand. "... Did you need something?"

"Oh no," Babs said frantically. "I just wanted to say thanks for earlier. That girl... Kitten was her name I think... gave me a really hard time."

"Kitten gives everyone a hard time, especially me and my friends. I'm Kori. Kori Anders."

"Well thanks again, kori."

"It was no prob--_Whoa!_"

Kori giggled in delight as Dick tackled her from behind and spun her around. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, his fingers tickling her stomach as he kissed her neck.

"Mmm... You have no idea how happy I am to see you, Kori." Dick said as he worked on his girlfriend's neck.

Babs began to cough awkwardly.

"Oh, Babs, I'm sorry," Kori said, her cheeks red as embarrassment sunk in. Kori slapped Dick's hands away and managed to get out of his grip and his kisses. "This is Dick Grayson, my boyfriend. Dick, this is Babs. She's one of our new cheerleaders."

"Pleased to meet you." Dick said shyly, feeling awkward after his little performance with Kori.

"It's nice to meet you...," Babs said softly as she looked at Dick. "I'm sorry to stare, it's just... you look so familiar.. and that name..."

Dick chuckled. "I get that a lot. It must be because I'm Bruce Wayne's ward."

"Hmm... You wouldn't happen to be from Gotham would you?"

Dick blinked in surprise. "I used to live there back when I was a kid."

"I'm a Gotham kid myself," Babs said proudly. "I just moved here a few weeks ago."

"That's great. Uh, Kori..." Dick tapped his watch.

"Oh I'm so sorry! I'm keeping you from your plans aren't I?"

"There's no need to apologize, Babs. Dick just get's impatient."

"Hey!"

Kori giggled at Dick's reaction and grabbed his hand. "Come on lover boy." Kori waved back at Babs as she and Dick began to walk. "See you later, Babs!"

"Later, Kori! Bye, Dick!" Babs called out as she waved back.

"Nice meeting you, Babs!" Dick called back as he wrapped an arm around Kori's shoulders.

"She seems like a nice girl." Kori commented as she leaned against Dick and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"I don't know, she seems a little weird to me."

Kori lightly slapped Dick's stomach and he chuckled.

"I was joking!"

As the pair walked off Babs watched them, she watched them until they were out of sight. A small smirk came to her lips and she chuckled. "So I've finally found you... Dick Grayson."

---

"You know, you didn't have to be so impatient back there on the field today." Kori said as she sipped up some of her ice tea.

"What can I say," Dick said innocently as he grinned at Kori. "I couldn't wait to get you all to myself."

Kori smiled at him and leaned in close, as much as possible with the small table in between her and Dick would allow, and Dick did the same hoping he was about to get a kiss.

Just as their lips were about to touch Kori smirked. "You mean you just couldn't wait to get some food into your belly."

And with that said she pulled back and leaned against her seat smirking, no kiss having taken place.

"That was mean," Dick pouted. "You shouldn't be mean to me after I've taken you out."

"You took me to a burger restaurant," Kori said with a laugh. "You make it sound as if you've taken me to the opera."

"Is that supposed to be some sort of hint?"

"Yes and no... but you know me," Kori said with a smile. "I can't resist a good burger place. Especially ones that have mustard."

"Hey," Dick snatched up Kori's hands before she could grab her food and looked at her seriously. "I'll take you anywhere you want if it makes you happy. I have a lot of making up to do for you since I fucked up royally last year."

"Dick...," one of Kori's hands left his and touched his cheek gently. "I've already forgiven you. You don't have to make up anything to me." Kori leaned in close and lightly kissed Dick on the lips in a sweet kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too."

They separated, both of them with smiles on their faces.

The smiles were wiped off when someone wearing a _lot_ of pink walked into the restaurant.

Kori groaned as her eyes caught sight of Kitten.

"What is it?" Dick asked in concern.

"Turn around and look," Kori said. Dick did as he was told and Kori could have sworn she heard him mutter a few curse words. "Let's just go--"

"No, Kori," Dick said sternly. "We shouldn't have to leave just because Kitten and her posse chose to invade the place. We can still enjoy ourselves even with her here just as long as we stay away from each other. Besides... I haven't finished my food."

"Fine... since we're staying would you mind getting me a refill of ice tea?" Kori asked sweetly, using 'the look'.

"How can I not refuse those big green eyes," Dick said dramatically as he stood up and pecked Kori on the cheek, taking the empty cup from her hand. "I'll be back in a sec, try to stay outta trouble."

"Haha," Kori said with sarcasm. "Always the funny one."

"You know it!" Dick said cheekily with a wink as he walked away.

Kori relaxed in her seat and helped herself to some fries. It was so nice to have some alone time with Dick. Kori always felt so happy when it was just the two of them.

Unfortunately for her someone wanted to ruin her happiness, someone with pink heels on their feet...

"Aren't you two just so sweet," Kitten mused aloud, leaning one hand on Kori's table and placing the other on her hip. "Just like a little old couple."

Kori rolled her eyes and pushed her food away. "What do you want, Kitten?"

"What? Can't two old friends just chat and catch up?"

"We're not friends," Kori said coldly, her eyes narrowed. "We never were."

"Relax, Kori. No need to be so rude. I just wanted to see how you and Dick were doing, that's all."

"We're fine. You can go now."

"Very well then. Enjoy your happiness while it last." Kitten said as she flicked her hair and prepared to walk away.

Kori grabbed her wrist before she could even take two steps. "What do you mean, 'while it last'?"

"Oh, Kori, always the naive one," Kitten said with a small laugh. "Come on, do you honestly think Dick really is going to stay with you when he can have me?"

"Oh please! As is he would ever consider dating you again!"

Both girls began to raise their voices at each other, which lead to a few stares.

Just as they began to raise their voices, Dick had began to walk back to his and Kori's table. He was just in time to over hear Kitten say something along the lines of himself crawling back to her. Dick rolled his eyes, there was no way he was getting on _that _boat again, and he had just about enough of Kitten insulting his girlfriend...

"And another thing--" Kitten's rant was cut off by the pouring of ice tea on her head.

Dick had quickly walked behind Kitten and dumped the ice tea which was supposed to be for Kori on her head. Kitten was frozen solid in shock and people in the restaurant stopped and stared in silence.

"Let's get outta here," Dick whispered into Kori's ear, a large smirk on his face as he grabbed the shocked Kori's hand and pulled her quickly to the door. Dick opened the door and paused, looking at Kitten with the ever present smirk still on his face. "Hey, Kitten. You're a bitch."

And with that said Dick and Kori were out the door, the both of them laughing and smiling.

Kitten balled up her fist, her eyes turned narrow as she let out a very long, and loud scream.

---

Alain felt completely at ease as he sat down on a leather bound seat suspended into the sky along side his girlfriend.

After a long line of 'rides that make you puke', as Raven had put it, Toni made a request to go on the ferris-wheel. It was a surprise to all of them and Alain quickly accepted the proposal. Raven had turned it down, saying she needed a break from all of the rides and that she didn't like the ferris-wheel anyways. Gar had decided to stay behind with her.

And so, Alain and Toni had gotten on the ferris-wheel together and were both very comfortable as they descended higher and higher into the sky. Alain had his arm wrapped around Toni's shoulders and her with her head resting against his chest.

"This is nice... a little slow but nice." Toni commented.

"Yeah, you get a good view from up here," Alain said. "Are you cold?"

"No, you're keeping me warm," Toni said with a smirk. "Just don't go trying to cop a feel."

"Wha-what?! I wouldn't do that, I swear."

Toni laughed. "Alain, I was only teasing. Loosen up."

"Oh, okay then." Alain said as he calmed down, the blush fading from his cheeks.

"Hey... Alain..."

"Hmm? What is it, Toni?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I like you... a lot," Toni's cheeks turned a furious shade of red. "I think I'm falling for you."

Alain was stunned. Toni had never been this open about her feelings.

Alain smiled at her. "I feel the same way."

They ended the conversation with a kiss.

---

Raven made a sound of annoyance. "Honestly... How long are the two of them going to be up there. I'm already sick of this carnival."

Gar made a noise of agreement, not really listening to what Raven was saying. He was nervously fiddling with his fingers as he prepared himself to tell Raven the truth. He was debating with himself whether to do it or not. It was like he had a evil and a good version of himself on his shoulder. The evil one kept telling him that only the worst would come from telling Raven the truth while the good one told him wonderful things could happen.

Gar decided to go with the good one.

"Hey, Raven, can we talk," Gar asked, turning around on the bench they were sitting on so he could face her. "There's something really important that I want to tell you."

Raven was taken back. "Sure, Gar. Go ahead," maybe now she could finally find out what was bothering him. "What is it?"

"Well, um, you see... uh..."

"Gar," Raven interrupted dryly, narrowing her eyes. "You're stuttering. Whatever you have to say just say it. Don't waste my time with--"

"I like you!" Gar clamped his hands over his mouth. He didn't mean to just blurt it out.

Raven froze and blinked in shock. She wasn't too sure she heard Gar right. "Ex-excuse me?"

"I... like you." Gar repeated, taking his time to just say the words instead of just blurting it out like before.

Raven began to laugh, long and hard. "That's a good joke, Gar. You really had me going there."

"But I... but I wasn't joking," Gar said, a little hurt by her laughter and assumption. "I really do like you."

Raven froze and studied Gar's features. He looked serious...

"Oh my God you're serious aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," Gar stated, feeling rather annoyed that she didn't believe him. Silence fell between them for a short while before Gar spoke again. "Do you... like me?"

Raven decided to choose her words carefully. "Gar, I like you, but--"

"Let me guess, you don't like me in that way." Gar said in a sad tone, his eyes looking away from Raven.

"I do like you but as a friend." Raven said, trying her hardest not to hurt Gar.

Silence fell between them once more and Raven could have sworn she heard a sniffle.

"Gar, I'm sorry.."

"Nah, don't be," Gar said as he put on a fake smile. "I mean, it would have been totally weird if we went out anyways. I mean, we've been friends for years. Plus, your hair is purple and mine is green. Those two colors don't match very well." Gar chuckled. "I sound like the fashion police or something."

"Right." Raven could tell Gar was trying to cover up his hurt feelings by telling jokes.

"Hey, you know what," began Gar. "It's getting late. I'm gonna go on and head home. My mom is making tofu hotdogs."

"Gar, wait..."

"Hey don't worry about a thing, Raven," Gar said in a cheerful tone which was as fake as his smile. It's cool. I get it. I'll see you later okay."

Before Raven could respond Gar walked off. He walked off as fast as he could without running. He pushed by happy couples and people as fast as he could, desperate to leave the carnival as soon as possible. When he finally reached his moped which was parked outside by Toni's car he began to kick it's tires.

Tears began to roll down Gar's cheeks as he kicked his vehicle. "Stupid, stupid, stupid..."

Gar had taken a gamble with fate and lost.

------------------------------

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO FairieAngelx3o, jcyz, Scriblez, writer-not-a-fighter, cookiesruletheworld, imcalledkitty, TerraBB4Eva, SuPeR HyPeR chick 101, chittychittybangbang16, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, Royal Blue, paintupurple, filipina-princessa, Agent of the Divine One, RavenSis, BerryDrops, mysteree101, sweetnsxy, Ace.04, writing4eva, tennisgal456, littlebluelight, xryosakufujix, SaoirseWaveglow, Nightwing's Gurl 2023, Koriand'r Grayson, BeautiiQueen and BeastgirlRaven FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. I CAN'T THANK YOU ALL ENOUGH.**

**I WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE FOR THE LATE UPDATE. I WON'T BORE YOU WITH EXCUSES, I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT I'M REALLY SORRY AND THAT LIFE CAN BE A REAL BITCH AT TIMES.**

**I HOPED EVERYONE LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: MISERY LOVES IT'S COMPANY.**

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	9. A line between lovers and friends

Vic parked his car by a house he knew all too well. As he walked down the cobblestone road which lead to the green painted door of the house he couldn't help but stare at the front lawn. The grass was green and full of life, flowers of all kinds poked their heads out of the ground and presented those who walked by with a sight of beauty.

Vic chuckled to himself, Rita sure did have a green thumb. He wondered if Karen would ever be like that...

Vic blushed madly and pushed the thought aside as he stepped up to the front door. He rang the bell and waited.

The door opened to reveal a tall woman with brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair. The woman smiled when she saw Vic standing outside her door.

"Hello, Mrs. Dayton," Vic said boyishly. "Can Garfield come out to play?"

"Oh, Vic, you big joker," Mrs. Dayton, rather Rita, said with a small smile. "Please, come in."

"So...," Vic began as he followed Rita inside. "How's the little guy doing?"

"Oh, Vic, it's horrible," confessed Rita sadly. "Ever since he came home on Friday he hasn't been the same. I'm worried about him."

"Yeah, so am I. That's why I came over today. Do you mind if I see him?"

"Not at all, please go ahead. Maybe you can convince him to leave his room for longer than five minutes."

Vic made a small noise of agreement and left Rita so he could travel up the stairs to Gar's room. Having been in Gar's house so many times before Vic knew how to get around the place quite well. He made it to Gar's room with ease and knocked on the door.

"Yo, Gar, it's me Vic. Can I come in?"

There was no response.

"C'mon man. Whatever is bothering you we can work it out together. I'm your friend and I'm here to help," Vic paused and waited for a response. He received none. "C'mon, Gar, you can at least say something." Vic still received no response and was rather ticked off by the silence treatment he was getting. "That's it, Gar. I've tried being nice and giving you your space but if you don't say something I'm gonna burst in there and drag you out by your--"

"Vic."

Vic paused in his rant and turned around to see Gar standing there.

"What--"

"I was in the bathroom." Gar said shortly, his eyes downcast on the floor and his voice flat. He walked around Vic and opened the door to his room, stepping inside.

Vic followed him, closing the door behind them. "So, what, no hello? I don't even get a sorry for you not answering any of my calls?"

Gar ignored Vic and climbed into bed, facing the wall, with the sheets covering his entire body including his head.

"Grass stain?" Vic said curiously, wondering why Gar was behaving like this.

"Go away." Gar groaned miserably.

"I ain't leaving until you tell me what's up," Vic said stubbornly as he grabbed the chair to Gar's desk and sat down, crossing his arms. "So are you going to tell me what's up or am I gonna have to drag it out or you?"

Gar poked his head out of the sheets and looked at Vic, glaring at him. Vic smirked in response.

With a heavy sigh Gar sat up in bed and faced Vic. "Raven."

Vic blinked in surprise. "Raven?"

"Yeah," Gar said bitterly. "Raven. When we all went to the carnival on Friday I told her that I liked her."

"And she didn't feel the same did she," Vic said remorsefully. If he didn't push Gar to confess his feelings none of this would have happened. "That's why you're like this?"

Gar could only nod his head.

"Gar, I'm sorry. Really I am."

"How come she didn't feel the same way, Vic?" Gar asked sadly.

"Well... not everybody likes each other in that way," Vic explained, his older brother personality coming into play. "It's a big jump from being _just _friends to _more_ than friends. Not everybody--"

"But it worked for you and Karen," Gar protested. "And it worked for Dick and Kori. So did Alain and Toni and even Wally and Jenn. Roy and Jade... not so much, but it worked! How come it can't work for me?"

"Well, um... Maybe it's because we all had feelings for each other before we started dating. Remember Dick and Kori? The crush they had on each other was obvious even to the teachers."

"I guess, but...," Gar sighed and placed a hand over his chest. "Vic, it hurts so much. I feel as if someone was playing golf with my heart. And my heart was the one being smacked around by an evil robot monkey that was out to destroy tofu."

Vic scratched his head. "... Right. Look, I know it hurts now but you'll get over it. There's a lot of other girls out there and the right one is out there somewhere waiting for you. And you're never gonna meet her if you stay locked up in your room all day. So get your ass up and let's go to the arcade."

"I'm not too sure if I really wanna go..." Gar said, wanting nothing more than to crawl into the deepest, darkest hole and hide.

"I'll buy you tofu afterwards," Vic persuaded. Gar sighed. Vic could tell it was going to take a lot more convincing if he wanted to get his old buddy back. "I'll eat some tofu."

"Really?!" Gar asked, perking up instantly with some of the happiness returning to his eyes.

"Yes, really. But you gotta get a move on it so let's go."

"Okay." Gar said, making his way to the door. Vic held up a hand to stop him.

"You might wanna change out of your pajamas first," Vic advised. Gar blushed in embarrassment. "And take a damn shower before we leave. You smell worser than that pudding Kori made for us in seventh grade."

---

Raven sat on her bed clutching her pillow to her chest. She felt awful after what happened on Friday. She felt so bad for Gar, she never wanted to hurt him, but it wasn't like she could spare his feelings either. It was a lose-lose situation.

Raven had always been a reluctant one to accept emotions, and she rarely tried to hide that fact. It's because of this that some people had dubbed her as an ice-queen. They felt that she was incapable of emotions.

They were wrong.

Raven had feelings just like the rest of them did. There were times when she was happy, and there were times that she was sad. There were also times when she actually showed concern over others.

This was one of those times. Raven couldn't deny the fact that she was worried about Gar. They always had a complicated relationship, always hurting each other. She would deliver a slap to his head when he was being annoying and he would deliver her an insult in the form of a joke. They never really meant to hurt each other, it was just how their friendship was. One may consider it how they tease each other.

But this time it was different. Raven had hurt him, but it wasn't apart of their typical routine, she really did hurt him.

And she felt terrible because of it.

There were times when Raven wished she could just lock Gar up and throw away the key. Despite those thoughts and the blows she gave him when he did or said something stupid Raven actually considered Gar one of her closest friends. He was a valued part of her life and she cared very much about him.

But those feelings didn't extend past friendship.

Raven buried her face into the pillow. This was all _too _complicated...

A knock at her door made Raven look up from the pillow. "Who is it?"

"It's Kori. I was hoping we could talk."

Raven sighed.

"I'm not going away until we do."

"Fine," Raven said grudgely as she sat cross-legged on her bed. "Come in."

Kori came in carrying a tray of food in her hands. "I thought you would be hungry since I didn't see you at breakfast today, or at dinner yesterday," Kori placed the tray in front of Raven and sat at the edge of her bed. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

"Not really." Raven said as she took a mouthful of french-toast. She had been so upset about the whole thing with Gar she hadn't bothered with eating properly. It felt good to actually be eating something.

"Raven, come on, tell me," Kori pleaded. "Whatever it is I can probably help you."

Raven paused and gave Kori's statement some thought. Raven had no idea how to deal with this situation but maybe Kori would. After all, Kori did know Gar longer than she did.

Raven pushed her plate of food to the side after finishing up the last bite. She held the cup filled with tea in her hands. "Something happened to me on Friday..."

"Something bad?" Kori questioned as she was filled with worry.

"Yes... and no. It's nothing life threatening if that's what you're thinking."

Kori breathed a sigh of relief, some of her worry being put at ease. "Okay then. I am assuming that was the thing that didn't make whatever you're talking about bad."

Raven nodded.

"So then what is it?"

"It's about Gar... and me."

Kori fought not to smile. "Oh?"

"He... he said he liked me."

Kori squealed in delight. "This is most wondrous news! You and Gar are finally going to start dating! Oh, when is your first date? I must know so--"

"Kori," Raven interrupted. "Gar telling me that he likes me is a bad thing."

"But, I do not understand. Why is it a bad thing?"

"Because I don't feel the same way."

"But I thought you liked Gar."

Raven rose a brow. "What gave you that idea?"

"That talk we had on Friday. And then you and Gar in the hallway at school."

"Kori, it's not Gar that I like," Raven blushed and looked away. "It's someone else."

"But what about Gar," Kori asked. "Did you tell him that?"

"No. He ran off before I could talk to him," Raven said before she finished up the rest of her tea. "Which is why I have been more distant then usual. I feel horrible about what I did to him, Kori."

"Raven, I know you feel bad because you hurt Gar's feelings but you can't beat yourself up over it. If you don't feel the same way he does for you than it can't be helped."

"He just looked so broken..."

"I'm sure Gar will be back to his old self in no time," Kori assured her. "It's just going to take some time is all."

"Thank you, Kori," Raven said sounding relieved. "I'm going to take a short nap. Do you mind...?" Raven gestured towards the door.

Kori took the hint and walked towards the door. "Okay, okay, I'm going."

"Kori, wait," Raven got up so she could hand Kori the tray along with the plate and cup. "Do you mind taking this with you? The last thing I want is a pile of dirty dishes in my room."

"Sure thing, Raven," Kori said kindly as she took the tray, cup and plate from Raven's hand. Kori turned away but something caught her attention. "Hey, Raven, I have a question for you."

Raven paused, stopping herself from closing the door. "What is it, Kori?"

"If it wasn't Gar that you had a crush on than who is it?"

"That's confidential." Raven said dryly as she shut the door in Kori's face.

---

The weekend came and went. School was back in session, meaning Raven and Gar wouldn't be able to avoid each other any longer. But that sure as hell didn't stop Gar from trying. He wanted to avoid Raven at all cost and did whatever he could to do so. His plan was working in the beginning, but come fourth period it came to an abrupt end.

Raven didn't like the fact that Gar was avoiding her, so come fourth period she cornered him on his way to lunch.

"We need to talk." Raven said as she grabbed Gar's forearm, preventing him from walking away.

Gar snatched his arm away and glared at her coldly. "Yeah, well, maybe I don't want to talk."

"You can't just keep avoiding me."

"I wasn't avoiding you." Gar lied.

Raven scoffed and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in the process. "Yeah right. You sat in the back of the room during history, ran away from me before second period began and during gym you wouldn't even make eye contact with me," Raven said dryly. "Admit it, Gar, you're avoiding me."

"Yeah, okay, I'll admit it," Gar said as he turned away from her. "So what about it? I thought you would enjoy the fact that I'm not around you."

"Why are you acting like this," Raven asked, a trace of sadness in her voice. "Can you not stand to be around me anymore? Do you hate me that much?"

Her question had caught him off guard and he dropped the attitude. "I don't hate you, Raven," he confessed softly. "I don't think I could ever hate you." Gar placed a hand on his chest and sighed. "You just hurt me really bad..."

"I didn't mean to," Raven said softly as she stepped closer to Gar, placing her hand above his which was on his chest. "Gar, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I wish there was something I could do to take away your pain."

"You could give me a chance," Gar said with hopeful eyes. "Let me take you out on a date."

"Gar," Raven looked away and her hand slipped away from his. "This is something I can not do."

"Why not? Is there something wrong with me, something you don't like," Gar asked. "Because if that's the case I can change."

Raven shook her head no. "Gar, it wouldn't be fair to you... That is... I'm not sure how to say this..."

"What is it that you're trying to say, Raven?"

Now it was Raven's turn to avoid eye contact. She sighed. She had to tell Gar the truth. If she didn't he would think there was a fighting chance between them.

"I... like someone."

Gar felt as if his heart plummeted to the floor. "Oh..."

"I wanted to tell you sooner but on Friday you ran off before I could."

"So," Gar began softly. "This is the reason why we can't be together?"

"Yes and no," Raven confessed. "It's only part of the reason. Gar, you've been in my life for a long time and I don't want things to change between us... Do you think there is a way we could continue on like we were, as friends?"

Gar was silent, so silent it scared her.

His lips twisted into a smile and he looked at her with happy eyes. He extended his hand to her. "I don't see how we couldn't."

Raven smiled in relief, thankful that she wouldn't lose someone close to her, and took his hand.

A silent vow of friendship was made between the two.

---

The bell rang and the students cheered. School was officially over and they could all go home. Most of them anyways. A small majority of them had after school activities or classes, and as of today a new batch of students would be staying over for after school.

Today would be the first day of Mr. Malchior's after school poetry class.

Raven quickly made her way over to the designated room where the class would be taking place. She couldn't wait, her skin was itching in anticipation. Not only would she be in a group that shared her love for poetry, but she would also get to spend some extra time with Mr. Malchior.

Raven reached room 304 and stared at the closed door.

"Here goes nothing." she said quietly to herself when she grabbed the door knob. She released the breath she didn't know she was holding and entered the room.

Raven glanced around the room with perplexed eyes. There was a half of a dozen students in the room, three boys and three girls, and they all looked as if they didn't want to be here. One of the boys had actually dozed off and was snoring in the back. One of the girls was attending to her nails and the girl next to her was going her make-up while holding a compact mirror. The last girl had her chin on the palm of her hand with half lidded eyes and the boy next to her had his face buried in his arms. The last boy was listening to his iPOD.

Raven didn't care about the fact that her fellow students seemed uninterested, she cared about the fact how Mr. Malchior wasn't there.

"Where is he?" Raven asked herself quietly.

"By 'he' do you mean me?" Mr. Malchior asked as he stepped behind Raven.

Raven jumped in shock. "Mr. Malchior," Raven blushed. "I didn't notice you."

"That's quite all right, Raven," Mr. Malchior said as he side stepped around her so he could enter the class. "I'm just glad one of my favorite students decided to come."

Raven followed him into the classroom and her cheeks turned pink. She couldn't believe her ears. She was one of Mr. Malchior's favorite students.

Raven felt like jumping up for joy.

"Okay people," began Mr. Malchior. "Head-phones off, make-up away, no sleeping and complete attention."

At the sound of his voice the boy in the back woke up and yawned. The girls in the middle reluctantly put away their make-up and the boy by the window took off his head-phones. The boy and the girl off to the side sat up straight and looked over at Mr. Malchior. Raven sat in the front and gave her complete attention to Mr. Malchior.

"Well then, we shall begin," Mr. Malchior said with a cool smile. "Our first topic, dark poetry."

Raven couldn't stop the smile that came to her lips.

---

Kori had decided not to go to cheerleading practice after school and so she had asked Jenn for the day off. Jenn was reluctant at first but eventually caved in when Kori gave her 'the look'. Kori would have liked to go to cheerleading practice but one of her friends needed her more. That friend was Gar.

As soon as school was over Kori met up with Gar outside by the school parking lot. They took things from there and found themselves heading towards the park. They got two ice-cream cones, one chocolate favor for Gar and one strawberry favor for Kori, and walked around until they found a nice shaded spot by a tree. Gar threw away their dirty napkins and hurried back to join Kori who was comfortably leaning against the tree they were sitting under.

"How are you, Gar?" Kori asked suddenly, her voice soft.

Gar was laying down on his stomach, his eyes studying the small yellow flower in front of him. He tore his gaze from the flower and his eyes landed on Kori. "I'm going just fine," Gar rose a brow. "Why?"

"I heard some... _things_ about what happened between you and Raven."

"What kind of things?"

"Gar... I think you know what I mean."

Gar sighed and closed his eyes. He was silent for awhile before he opened his eyes and looked down at the yellow flower in front of him. "So who blabbed," Gar asked flatly. "Was it Vic or Raven? Or was it the both of them?"

"Please do not be angry at them, Gar."

Gar poked the flower in front of him before rubbing it's peddles with his thumb. "I'm not angry at them," he said absently. "I just wish this pain would go away."

"Raven told me you worked things out."

"We did, we decided to stay friends."

"But that's not what you really wanted, is it?"

Gar sighed once more and plucked the flower from the ground, twirling it between his index finger and thumb. He got up and sat next to Kori. "I'm glad Raven and I are still going to be friends."

"You didn't answer the question."

Silence fell between them until Gar decided to speak once more.

"Vic says that I'll eventually forget about Raven and find that special girl for me. I wanna believe him, I really do... but what if he's wrong and I never do find that one girl who's for me."

"Love works in mysterious ways. Sometimes it's incredibly special and you feel as if you're soaring on air. Other times... well, it's a real pain in the ass," Kori smiled when Gar chuckled and continued. "Gar, I don't know if you'll ever find your special one. I don't even know if Dick's really the one for me, all I know is what I feel in my heart, and my heart tells me that I love him."

"So... you're telling me to follow my heart?"

Kori nodded and smiled. "That's what I did."

"But I did that already and look at what happened. I--"

Kori raised her hand and Gar dipped into silence. Kori continued. "Gar, I know how you feel. Sometimes things don't always work out the way want but it's important for you to keep on trying. You have to believe that there is a happy ending. Things between you and Raven may not have worked out but that doesn't mean you won't experience love or happiness and share it with someone."

"Kori...," Gar bit his lip and looked at her. "Thanks."

Kori smiled at him and wrapped him in a hug, one he returned. "Anytime."

------------------------

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO Lil-Mz.Sunshine, writer-not-a-fighter, cookiesruletheworld, BerryDrops, writing4eva, Koriand'r Grayson, Royal Blue, jcyz, SuPeR HyPeR chick 101, sweetnsxy, BeastgirlRaven, toonfan820, Agent of the Divine One, Star 4 Robin, SaoirseWaveglow, mysteree101, Ace.04, TerraBB4Eva AND cookiegurl15 FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: REVENGE**

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	10. Karma

Raven had a wide smile on her face when she walked into school on a Wednesday morning. So far she had only been to Mr. Malchior's poetry class twice but she was already so very fond of it. She couldn't wait for school to be over and done with that way after school would start. She couldn't wait to see Mr. Malchior...

She didn't have to wait very long for her wish.

Luck was on Raven's side today. As she was walking down the hall she spotted Mr. Malchior walking out of Mr. Wilson's office. Raven quickly rushed to his side.

"Morning, Mr. Malchior." Raven said as she stepped to his side.

"Raven, good morning." Mr. Malchior greeted kindly, a small smile on his face.

Raven's heart would flutter at the sight of his smile.

"So, um, Mr. Malchior," Raven began. "I was thinking maybe would could dive deeper into the topic of dark poetry. There's this poet I've--"

"Raven, there's something I need to tell you," Mr. Malchior said, cutting Raven's sentence short. He sighed. "My after school class has been cancelled."

"Cancelled? How could it be cancelled? Why?" Raven asked frantically. If the class ended that meant she would have little time with Mr. Malchior.

"Mr. Wilson said there was no point to the class due to the lack of students attending. Plus the majority of the class doesn't even want to be there. Their using the class as a breeze course to get extra credits."

"What about the students that do appreciate the class?"

"Don't worry, Raven," Mr. Malchior said as he placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. "My English class will cover poetry in a few months and I'm still going to try to talk some sense into Mr. Wilson."

Raven didn't say anything. She felt as if she was about to melt just because his hand was on her shoulder.

And that's when the bell rang. Students and teachers quickly began to leave the halls and enter their perspective classes.

"You better head off to class now. You wouldn't want to be late." Mr. Malchior said before taking off.

Raven was soon left in an empty hall. Her mind finally kicked into gear and she kicked a near by locker before rushing off to class. "Fuck."

TT

Lunch time couldn't come any sooner for Toni, she couldn't wait to just get something to eat and relax with her friends. So far today had been exhausting for her. Mr. Mod had given a pop quiz, she had to read aloud her essay in English class and in gym everyone had to participate in a game of dodge ball.

Toni shivered. She never wanted to see another dodge ball in her life.

Moving along the lunch line Toni spotted the last slice of strawberry shortcake. Toni licked her lips and quickly grabbed the dessert. Placing it safely on her tray Toni paid the lunch lady and walked off with her friends.

They were nearing their usual table where the boys had patiently been waiting with their lunch when a flash of pink stepped in front of Toni's path.

There was no time to stop and two girls collided, their lunch trays falling in the process.

Toni looked down sadly at her fallen dessert and looked up to see who she had bumped into.

Toni's day just got a whole lot worse.

The flash of pink had actually turned out to be Kitten.

Kitten's face was twisted with anger as she looked at her new pink blouse, now stained with chocolate pudding. She glared at Toni. "I know it may be difficult but would it be too much to ask for you to open up your freakin' eyes!"

"What," Toni glared at the blue eyed girl. "You walked right in front of me! Maybe you should watch where you're going."

"Maybe if you didn't have such ugly shoes you could walk right." Kitten said as she placed her hands on her hips.

Toni crossed her arms, trying to control her anger. No one insults her favorite red shoes. "Fashion advice coming from a slut. Priceless."

"Uh, Kitten, maybe we should go." Cindy nervously suggested.

"Quit it, Cindy," Mandy said elbowing her friend. "I wanna see this."

"Oh please, you're just jealous because I have a slim figure and the only thing that fits your fat ass is sweat pants." Kitten said with a smirk.

"Ignore her, Toni," Karen said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "She's not worth it."

"Oh I know she's not worth it," Toni said softly. "Which is why no one will care if I strangle her!"

"Toni, no!" Karen and Kori quickly grabbed Toni, stopping her from lunging at Kitten. Kitten laughed at the scene.

Toni's yelling and Kitten's laughing was heard throughout the lunch area. It caught the attention of Alain and the others.

Alain groaned. "Oh no..."

"You better go control your girl, Alain," teased Wally. "It looks like she's ready to do some serious damage."

"Shut up." Alain muttered as he got up and headed for the small group of girls.

"You're one to talk," Toni yelled at Kitten. "You don't even have a boyfriend! You're just a cheap slut that no one wants anymore!"

"I can have any guy I want!" Kitten yelled back as she was being held by her arms by Cindy and Mandy.

"What's going on here?" Alain questioned as he stepped up to the girls.

It was then that Toni's day got even worse.

As soon as Alain was close enough Kitten broke free from her friends. She quickly stepped up to Alain, grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled his lips down in a fierce kiss. Toni's eyes went wide and she stood frozen in shock. Just as quick as the kiss started it ended. Alain pushed Kitten away and wiped his mouth.

Kitten smirked at Toni. "Bye, Toni. I hope you have a nice day," Kitten winked at Alain as she walked away. "I hope to see you around soon, Alain." Kitten walked away smugly with Mandy and Cindy in tow.

Everything went silent.

Alain looked at Toni with apologetic and sympathy filled eyes. She just turned her head away.

"Oh hell no," Karen began to take off her earrings. "We are so not gonna let Kitten get away with kissing your man. Come on girls."

"I'm right behind you, Karen," Jenn said. "No one messes with our friends and gets away with it. Jade, you stay here while we take care of this."

"No," Toni whispered. "Leave Kitten alone."

"What?"

"You can't be serious."

"Why?"

"I mean it you guys," Toni said, her voice harsh. "Don't do anything."

"Are you sure that's what you want, Toni?" Kori asked softly.

"Yeah, you guys go enjoy your lunch." Toni said as she turned away. She began to walk away.

"She doesn't look okay." Jade said quietly.

"I know," Alain muttered as he chased after his girlfriend. "Toni! Toni, wait up!"

By the time Alain had caught up with Toni they were inside the school. Alain was walking next to Toni but she seemed to not even notice him. That or she just didn't care.

"Toni, would you please stop and talk to me," Alain pleaded. She ignored him and kept walking. "I'm sorry."

"Why should you be sorry, you didn't do anything wrong." Toni said in a monotone.

"But... aren't you mad at me?"

Toni paused and turned around, looking at Alain. She raised her hand and for a split second Alain thought she was going to hit him, but instead she lightly touched his cheek and smiled at him.

"I'm not mad at you. It's Kitten who I'm mad at," Toni kissed him softly on the lips. "You did nothing wrong."

"So then why did you walk away?"

"Because I have to use the bathroom."

"Oh...," Alain backed away awkwardly. "So I guess I'll let you do that then."

"That would be nice," Toni said as she stepped inside of the girls bathroom. As soon as Toni stepped inside she pulled out her sidekick and began texting. She needed to get in contact with a couple of old friends of hers. Toni smirked. "I'm going to make that bitch pay for kissing my man."

TT

Toni checked the time on her watch which felt like the umpteenth time to her and sighed. She was sitting in the park on one of the benches looking from left to right. Her guests were late.

It was about an hour past the time she left school and she was tired of waiting, but she had no choice but to wait. Toni had a bright mind and had ways of getting back at people, but compared to the people she was waiting for she was an amateur. She needed to get back at Kitten for kissing Alain. Kitten had crossed the line when she did that and Toni wanted revenge.

"I see you have came," said a voice which mimicked that of a spy. "Very good. A wise decision on your part."

Toni narrowed her eyes. "Drop the act, Tavis. You're not 007."

A tall, thin boy with spiked up blonde hair and grey eyes sighed and kicked a rock. "Aww... but I like playing 007."

"Hi, Toni!" said the boy standing next to Tavis. He was taller than Tavis and a bit on the large side. He, like Tavis, had grey eyes. His hair was a mix of black and blue.

"Hey, Gan." Toni said sweetly, giving the big boy a hug.

Toni stepped back and looked at the boys in full. They sure had changed since they were kids.

Growing up, Toni had spent a lot of time with Gan and Tavis Williams. Although it was hard to tell, Gan and Tavis were actually twins. Tavis was the oldest by four minutes.

"So, Toni, what can we do you for?" Tavis asked in his best Italian accent.

"Tavis, stop trying to sound like a mob boss."

"Aww," Tavis pouted. "But I like sounding like a mob boss..."

"Okay you guys, all jokes aside," Toni said seriously. "I need your help. You are aware who Kitten Moth is right?"

"Do I! She is so hot," Tavis said with a wide smile. "She's like Paris Hilton, only she's in high school and one year older than me."

Toni rose a brow and took a step away from Tavis so she was next to Gan. "Okay... gross me out."

"So what is it about this Kitten girl, Toni?" Gan asked.

"She's an evil, skinny, bitch with way too much make-up and she kissed my boyfriend!" Toni wailed and she rested her head on Gan's chest. Gan patted her back awkwardly.

"So she kissed your boyfriend," Tavis said indifferently. "All you have to do is key her car and stick a potato up the pipe. Problem solved."

"No! I want Kitten to suffer," Toni said, punching her fist. "But I need you two to help me. Are you game?"

"Anything to help a friend." Gan said with a smile.

"Eh," Tavis shrugged his shoulders. "What's in it for me?"

Toni narrowed her eyes and pulled Tavis's ear. "You. Will. Help. Me!"

"Ah! Alright, alright, alright! I'll help," Tavis cried. Toni smirked and released his ear. Tavis glared at her. "Bitch."

"Thank you," Toni said with a smirk. "I take that as a compliment."

"So what's the plan," Gan asked excitedly. "How are we gonna get back at her?"

"I have no clue." Toni confessed.

"Leave it to me," Tavis said. "I have a plan."

TT

It was Thursday morning and Toni was standing by her locker, just like Tavis told her to do. Toni looked to her left and saw Kitten standing by Mandy and Cindy next to the girls room. Toni looked to her right and saw Tavis and Gan. She nodded her head twice. Nodding her head twice was the signal they came up with to start the plan. Tavis nodded his head back and passed a football to Gan.

It was go time.

"Hey, Tavis," Gan began with much enthusiasm, raising the football in his hand. "Go long!"

"Throw the ball bro!" Tavis yelled as he ran backwards. He kept his eyes on Gan to know if he was heading in the right direction and Gan merely nodded and threw the ball.

Kitten screeched as a young sophomore boy crashed into her. She fell to the floor, her pink bag slipping from her grasp. She opened her eyes and glared at the boy who just so 'happened' (Tavis wasn't actually supposed to fall on top of Kitten, that was his own doing) to fall on top of her.

"Hello beautiful." Tavis said seductively.

"Get off of me you loser!" Kitten said coldly as she pushed Tavis away from her.

"I am so sorry for my brother's actions," Gan said, coming forward and picking up Kitten's things. "Here, let me help you."

"Get your filthy hands off of my stuff," Kitten said as she snatched her purse away from Gan and picked up the rest of its contents. She stood up. "Mandy. Cindy. Bathroom."

The three blondes walked into the girls bathroom and Toni quickly rushed over to Gan and Tavis.

"Did you make the trade off?" she asked.

Gan nodded. "Kitten didn't seem to notice."

"Thanks a lot you guys. I could have never done any of this without your help."

The bell rang, alerting everyone that class was about to begin.

"I'll call you guys later to let you know how the plan went." Toni said before walking off to class.

TT

Mr. Mod chuckled. "Well I must say that was a spectacular report, Doug," Mr. Mod said to the boy presenting up front. The boy smiled and Mr. Mod frowned. "You get a D."

"What? But's that's not fair." complained Doug.

"Oh I do believe it's fair," Mr. Mod said wickedly. "Your older sister gave that same report two years ago."

"How do--"

"We teachers know everything... That and we share each others secrets, both inside the classroom and out," Mr. Mod said with a shrug. "Now sit down before I decide to give you an F instead."

Doug mumbled all the way back to his seat and some students began to snicker.

Mr. Mod took out his clip-board and scrolled down the list. "Let's see here... That was little old Dougy Maple... Bethy Millard is absent so... Kitten Moth, you're next. Up front my little duckie."

Kitten, who was squirming in her seat and constantly crossing her legs, instantly swallowed. She picked up her report and walked to the front of the class. Little did she know Toni was quietly giggling to herself, knowing exactly why the blonde girl was squirming.

TT

It was the end of the school day and a boy who's name was Doug Maple whistled to himself as he spun in the code to his locker. He was nearly done, but he didn't get the chance to finish because someone grabbed him and slammed him up against is own locker door.

Doug's breath escaped him and he blinked in surprise. "Kitten? W-what are you doing?"

"You son of a bitch," Kitten hissed, her voice angry but low. "You said you were clean."

"What are you talkin--Ow!" Doug groaned in pain as he felt his lock dig into his back.

"Don't play stupid with me," Kitten said quietly. "Before we slept together I asked you if you had anything and you said no."

"But I was telling you the truth. Honestly." Doug whimpered in fear. The look in Kitten's eyes just spelled trouble, trouble which was directed at him.

"That's a damn lie and you know it. If you didn't have anything then why am I... itching down _there_?"

Doug forced himself to not laugh and instead expressed his amusement with a smirk. "Don't know, babe. But maybe you're the one with a little _something_."

Kitten's face turned red and she slammed Doug up against the locker door before awkwardly walking away.

Toni, who was on the opposite end of the hall and saw everything, smirked. She quickly dialed up Gan's cell phone number. "Hey, guess what... operation 'itching powder coated tampons' was a complete success."

TT

Raven twirled the spoon in her tea. She picked up the small, white china cup and blew the smoke away before taking a long sip of the tasty liquid which dwelled inside. After a feeling of content warmed her she placed the cup down and sighed, leaning back on the black leather coated seat she was sitting on.

Raven had decided to come to her favorite café as soon as school was over. She had nothing better to do after all since Mr. Malchior's after school was cancelled. Now, instead of poetry class, she was forced to listen to the open mic poets. Raven suppressed a sigh and closed her eyes. A combination of jazz and blues music filled her ears.

"Raven?"

Raven's eyes flew open in shock at the sound of a very familiar voice. She opened her eyes and saw Mr. Malchior with a cup in hand standing beside her empty booth.

"Mr. Malchior," Raven asked surprised. She would have never guessed she would see her favorite teacher in her favorite café. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came here to do a little work and enjoy a cup of coffee," Mr. Malchior smiled. "May I ask what it is that you are doing here?"

"Oh, um, this is my favorite hang out spot," Raven explained. "And since I currently have no after school activities I decided to come here."

"By yourself?" Mr. Malchior rose a brow.

"Yeah, well, this isn't really my friends scene. They either like to go to the arcade or the mall. Or the arcade at the mall."

Mr. Malchior chuckled. "I guess that's why I get late assignments turned in."

Raven laughed along with Mr. Malchior. When their laughter died down a deep silence took it's place.

"Well," Mr. Malchior said. "I should be going."

"Wait," Raven called out, a little too loudly. She blushed when Mr. Malchior looked at her curiously. "Would you... would you like to join me?"

Mr. Malchior paused and Raven mentally slapped herself. She should have never asked him that. He probably had much better things to do than to sit in a dark café with a lonely teenage girl.

Mr. Malchior smiled. "I would love to join you, Raven."

Raven blinked in surprise as Mr. Malchior sat down next to her. She couldn't believe that he had said yes. He was actually sitting with her, he wanted to be here with her. Inside Raven was cheering for joy.

"So what do you usually do while you're here besides drink tea," asked Mr. Malchior with a playful smile. "Surely you can find something better to do than to spend time with a boring lad like myself."

"I don't think you're boring, Mr. Malchior."

"Please, outside of school you can refer to me as Leon."

Raven smiled. "Okay then... Leon."

TT

It was getting later and later into the day but Raven didn't care. She felt happy to be here with Mr. Malchior, or rather Leon. It felt good to have him as company. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end.

Mr. Malchior looked at his watch and sighed, brushing his hair back. "It's getting rather late. And I still have some work to finish."

"You're right, it is kind of late." Raven said, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

The two gathered their things and left the café. Raven looked up in the sky and noticed how it was mostly blue and purple.

"You'll be alright getting home?" Mr. Malchior asked.

Raven snapped out of her trance and looked at the man next to her. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm going to catch a cab. What about you?"

"I can walk from here, my place isn't all that far," Mr. Malchior said, extending his hand to Raven. Raven shook his hand and he smiled at her. "Thank you for the lovely evening, Raven. It was a pleasure."

"You're welcome, Mr--I mean, Leon," Raven smiled sheepishly. She would have to get used to calling him by his first name. "So, um... Are you doing anything tomorrow afternoon? Because if you're not maybe we could meet here. Open mic is usually a lot better on Fridays."

"I don't see any harm...," Mr. Malchior smiled. "I would love to meet you here tomorrow."

"Great, so... I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Raven."

"Good night," Raven said, trying her hardest not to let the smile on her face get any bigger than it already was. She waved goodbye to Mr. Malchior and turned around. She pumped her fist in the air while walking away. "Yes!"

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO Agent of the Divine One, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, Royal Blue, jcyz, tennisgal456, cookiesruletheworld, Koriand'r Grayson, writing4eva, toonfan820, SaoirseWaveglow, BerryDrops, Ace.04, sweetnsxy, BeastgirlRaven, Nightwing's Gurl 2023, cookiegurl15, TerraBBEva AND Lizzy FOR THE GREAT REVIEWS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.**

**I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND SOME SPECIAL THANKS TO Agent of the Divine One. THANKS FOR THE ITCHING POWDER COATED TAMPONS IDEA. ANY ONE ELSE GOT SOME REVENGE SCHEMES FOR KITTEN JUST LET ME KNOW. LOL.**

**ALSO, HUGE THANKS GOES TO Ace.04 FOR BEING THE 200 REVIEWER! THANK YOU SO MUCH Ace.04. AS A REWARD YOU CAN ASK ME ONE QUESTION ABOUT WHAT'S TO COME IN THE STORY, OR ANY OF THE TWO SEQUELS (SENIOR YEAR AND ALL GROWN UP).**

**ALSO, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, YOU STILL HAVEN'T USED YOUR FREE QUESTION. SO DON'T FORGET YOU CAN ASK ME SOMETHING TOO.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: SOME GIRLS JUST DON'T KNOW WHEN TO QUIT.**

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**PS- SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE. ALSO, INCASE IF ANYONE WAS CONFUSED Tavis IS Lightning AND Gan IS Thunder.**

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	11. One step forward

"Look, all I'm saying is that Poe lacks a passion with his poetry." Leon said before taking a sip of his coffee.

"And all I'm saying is that you are wrong," Raven rebutted. "Darkness is his passion so he's not lacking anything."

"But there should be more than just the darkness fueling him. To me he just doesn't have a spark. I do admire his poetry and I do think he's good but I think others are better."

"Well Edgar Allen Poe is still my favorite poet." Raven said, giving up. Leon could be so stubborn at times it was ridiculous.

"It's getting late," Leon murmured, his eyes on his watch. He looked up at Raven. "I still have a bunch of test to grade. Same time tomorrow?"

Raven nodded with a smile. "I wouldn't miss it."

"Great, so I'll see you tomorrow then." Leon said as he gathered up his things.

"Bye." Raven waved as Leon left the small, gloomy café. She sighed as the door closed behind him. She missed him already.

It was the last week of October and ever since last week Raven had been meeting up with Leon after school. They always met up at the same time and at the same café. Their discussions always included things about poetry and literature and things of that nature.

It was always just the two of them and their discussions. Raven loved it.

Talking with Leon just felt so natural. It felt good to talk about something rather than video games, mechanics and shopping. It felt great to talk to someone who was interested in what she was interested with.

Leon was perfect in her eyes. He was handsome and intellectual. He was everything she could ever want but there was just one problem.

He was everything she could ever want and everything she could never have. Leon was the forbidden fruit. He was to remain hands off.

Raven knew this, but still... she was tempted.

TT

It was the start of a brand new day for Jump City High School. All students were already in their first period classrooms. Some of the unfortunate ones were stuck in Mr. Mod's history class. On the bright side class was almost over.

"Alright my duckies, I have some big news for you all," Mr. Mod began rather cheerfully. He had a big grin on his face which could only mean one thing... "Tomorrow we're having a test!"

There was a large groan emitted from the class followed by some students weeping and banging their heads on top of their desk.

"Oh come on, Mr. Mod," began Roy. "That is so unfair. You're always giving us test."

"Yeah," pitched in Vic. "Can't we have a break for once?"

"Stop your whining this instant," demanded Mr. Mod angrily, his voice loud and fierce as he slammed the butt of his cane on the floor. "One more complaint like that and I'll give you double your homework."

The class immediately fell silent. Knowing Mr. Mod he would follow through with his threat. The class knew better than to push his buttons.

Mr. Mod sighed deeply and leaned against his desk, the palm of his hands resting on the red jewel on his cane. "I honestly don't know why you are all complaining about a break," he muttered. "You lot have that silly Halloween dance this week. You should all be grateful."

"Umm... Mr. Mod," Toni raised her hand. "What Halloween dance?"

Mr. Mod stood still and then chuckled nervously. "Oops... I guess I forgot to mention it to you all." Mr. Mod cleared his throat and tapped his cane on the floor. "You see, about a week ago Mr. Wilson told all of us first period teachers to tell the students about the Halloween dance that's being held in the gym. He even gave us fliers!... Which I forgot to handout," Mr. Mod laughed. "I guess I should hand it out now, huh, duckies."

"I hate him. I really do hate him." Wally murmured to Jenn.

Jenn nodded in agreement.

TT

"Can you guys believe that we're actually having a Halloween dance?!" squealed Karen. She couldn't contained her excitement.

"And the best part about it is that we get to wear costumes," said Gar with a wide smile. "My costume is going to be wicked awesome, just you all wait and see."

"Good luck with that," scoffed Jade. "It'll be a miracle if any of us get's a good costume in time."

"And it's all Mr. Mod's fault," Alain said bitterly. "He can remember to give us test but not a party invitation."

"This is all the more reason why we should go to the mall," Kori said brightly, thinking of only the positive side of things. "We can all go after school."

Raven cleared her throat. "Uh... I'm not going to be able to go. I have important stuff to do after school."

"Like what, Raven?" Jenn asked suspiciously, crossing her arms.

"Just... stuff."

"But what about getting a costume for the Halloween dance," Kori asked. "You do plan on going don't you?"

"Yeah, I'll go," Raven said indifferently. "Halloween is one of the holidays that I actually like. Just pick me up a witch costume, Kori. You know my size."

"Okay, if you say so." Kori said softly, her eyes still on Raven. Kori couldn't quite place her finger on it but she had a feeling that something was up with Raven. She just didn't know what.

TT

Lunch was over and it was now fifth period. Dick had separated from his friends and was currently wandering the halls aimlessly. Fifth period was his free period but due to all of his friends having class there wasn't much to do.

Dick walked up to a vending machine and put in a dollar. Despite only having lunch less than ten minutes ago Dick felt the need to have a snack or at least a drink. Anything was better than nothing.

He decided on getting a soda. He reached for the bottle and was ready to open it when someone tapped him on his shoulder from behind.

Dick jumped, startled, and almost dropped his drink. He took a deep breath to relax his nerves before turning around. "What the hell--"

Dick stopped himself from saying anything more once he saw who it was that tapped his shoulder.

It was Babs.

"Oh, Babs, I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was you."

Babs flushed. "It's okay. Actually I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that. I didn't mean to startle you."

"Nah, it's alright," Dick said with a shrug. "Vic and Gar used to sneak up on me all the time when we were kids... Actually they still do."

Babs chuckled softly and looked at Dick. Dick looked back at her.

There was a horrible awkward silence and the two looked away from each other.

"So, um...," Dick rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to think of something as a conversation starter. "What are you doing here?"

It wasn't much of a question but it was a start.

"I have a free period right now." Babs answered.

"So do I."

Awkward silence...

"Well then I guess I should be going." Dick said abruptly.

"No, wait," Babs shouted as she quickly grabbed his hand, stopping him from leaving. Dick looked at their joined hands and then at her. Babs blushed and quickly let go. "Sorry..." she mumbled. "It's just, I was hoping that maybe we could hang out together. I'm not really equipped with friends at the moment, you know, being new and all."

Dick's expression softened. He knew what it was like being the new kid at a school. Lucky for him he had Kori when he moved to Jump City.

"You wanna walk around?"

Babs face instantly brightened with a smile and she eagerly nodded her head.

The two began walking in a comfortable silence, side by side. It wasn't a horrible awkward silence but Dick was glad when Babs began a conversation.

"Did you hear about the Halloween dance?" she asked him suddenly.

Dick nodded. "Yeah. Mr. Mod told us today. You going?"

"Sure am! I already have a costume picked out. Are you going?"

"Yup. Kori and I are going to have a matching couple theme going on."

"Oh...," Babs faked a smile. "You and Kori are going together in matching costumes... how cool."

Dick chuckled. "It was our friends idea actually. We were talking about the dance during lunch," Dick paused and glanced at Babs. "What period do you get lunch?"

Babs stopped and looked at him. "Fourth period. Why?"

"That's when me and my friends get lunch. You should come sit at our table some time and meet everyone."

"Are you sure I wouldn't be imposing?"

"Nah, it's cool. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"Okay then," Babs said with a small smile. "Maybe I will then."

"Great."

It was at the exact moment when the ell rang. Doors to classrooms opened and students began to pour out and fill the halls.

"I gotta get to English." Dick said.

"Right," Babs nodded in understanding. "I have a science class to get to. Mr. Trogarr doesn't like it when anyone is late."

"Tell me about it. The guy is a total nut job. Just be thankful that you didn't get stuck with Mr. Mumbo. Now that guy is crazy," Dick began to laugh at his own joke but his laughter was cut short when Babs wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. Dick's arms were frozen in the air as Babs hugged him. It was very awkward since he wasn't hugging her back. What made it even more awkward was the fact that everyone in the hallway was staring at them. "Uh, Babs..."

"Thanks for today, it really meant a lot to me," Babs said as she let go and waved goodbye as she rushed off to class with a smile on her face. "See you later, Dick!"

Dick slightly waved back and turned away once he saw her turn the corner. He sighed as he walked off to class. "That girl is seriously weird."

TT

"Alright," said Toni, pulling a costume off the rack and holding it up to her body. "What do you think of this one?"

"Hmm... too much red." Karen said finally. Toni sighed and put the costume back on the rack, looking for a new one.

"It's a devil costume, it's supposed to be red," Jade pointed out. She held up two costumes. "Which one do you like better, the anime school girl look or the sexy cop look."

"Go for the school girl," said Jenn, taking the cop costume. "I want this one. It's sure to drive Wally insane."

"Oh, do you have plans to play a game of cops and robbers after the dance with Wally, Jenn?" Karen asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Maybe," Jenn said slyly. "But I'll probably be playing the role of the robber."

The girls giggled.

"Hey, what about this one?" Toni asked, holding up a costume.

"Too much white," droned Karen, fingering through the rack of costumes. She squealed and quickly snatched up a costume. "I found my costume!"

"And I found mines." Kori announced happily, holding up her costume for her friends to see.

"Wow, Kori," began Jade. "Put that on and you'll look like you stepped out of a fairytale. I'm sure it'll look great on you."

"Thanks, Jade. I even found the perfect witch costume for Raven. It's pitch black and it covers up skin."

"I wonder what's so important that Raven couldn't come shopping with us." Karen said softly.

"Yeah, I was wondering that too." Jade said.

Kori froze. Whatever it was that Raven was doing Kori was sure that she wanted it to be a secret. If the others started questioning things now they would probably try and figure out what exactly was going on. Kori bit her lip. She was sure that Raven would tell her and the others what was going on soon enough, so in the mean time she would just have to cover for her as best she could.

"Well you know how Raven is, the mall isn't exactly her cup of tea. Besides, Raven has been working on her poetry a lot as of lately."

"Kori's right," said Jenn. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"Hey guys," Toni said abruptly, catching the attention of her friends. She held up a costume and smirked. "Check this out."

The others gasped.

"Wow."

"Perfect."

"Very nice."

"Alain is going to be one lucky boy."

Toni giggled and smile. "Well then, shall we go and pay?"

TT

"Uh... Vic," began Dick, rubbing the back of his neck. "Are you sure you should buy that costume? I mean, if Karen sees you in that she might just kick your ass."

"You're overreacting, Dick," said Vic indifferently. "Besides, Karen knows I'm a big kidder. I'm sure she won't mind me wearing this to the dance."

Dick sighed. "Whatever you say, Vic. I'll be sure to tell you 'I told you so' before Karen murders you."

Vic crossed his arms. "Oh yeah, well what are you going as?"

"Something that won't have my girlfriend chasing me around with a bat," Dick said, holding up his costume for Vic to see. He turned his head to the side. "You guys almost done yet?"

"I've got my costume," Gar announced with a big smile on his face. "I had to play a game of tug or war with some kid but it was worth it." Gar said, hugging his costume.

"I'm done." Alain said, holding up his costume.

"So am I," Roy said, walking up to his friends. "So that means were just waiting on Wally."

"Yo, Wally," shouted Vic. "What's taking so long?"

Wally ran up to the group with numerous costumes in his hands. "I can't decided which costume to get."

"And here I though this was going to happen to Gar." whispered Alain to Dick. The two boys snickered.

"Hey! I heard that!"

"Just pick any costume," said Roy dully. "It doesn't matter."

"Says you," Wally said, narrowing his eyes. "You already got yours."

"Okay, let me help you out," Dick said, taking the costumes Wally had in his hands and examining them. He tossed one away. "Gay." he tossed out another. "Lame." he tossed out another. "Retarded." he tossed out another. "Ew." Dick continued to go through the costumes until he picked up the last one. He smiled and handed it to Wally. "Perfect. Can we go now?"

Wally eyed the costume Dick chose for him and nodded his head with a smile. "Nice choice. We can leave now."

TT

"I wonder what kind of costumes the girls got." Gar said aloud as he and the guys left the store.

The boys and the girls had separated from each other as soon as they entered the mall. It was Toni's idea. She thought it would be cooler if they met up at the dance and surprised each other in their costumes. Only Dick and Kori were allowed to know what the other was buying since they were doing a couples theme, though they wouldn't be able to see the others costume officially until the dance.

"I'm hoping they come as swim suit models," Roy said with a grin, rubbing his hands together. Someone from behind yanked him by his ear. "Youch!"

"Swim suit model? Roy, you should be ashamed." lectured Jade.

Roy's face turned completely red. "It was just-ow-a joke. Please-ow-let go."

"Hmm... fine," Jade released the hold she had on Roy and crossed her arms. "No more perverted jokes like that okay."

"Promise."

"Well I see who wears the pants in that relationship." Alain commented to Wally. Both boys snickered.

Unfortunately for the two of them both Jenn and Toni heard them. Both girl's slapped their boyfriend behind his head causing them to yelp in pain.

Vic laughed and Karen slapped him behind his head.

"Ow! What did I do?"

Karen shrugged. "I just felt like hitting you."

Gar smiled sheepishly and mumbled to himself. "I'm so glad I don't have some crazy girlfriend to hit me."

"What was that, Gar?" Jade, Karen, Toni and Jenn asked, giving him the evil eyes and raising their fist.

Gar gulped and stuttered before the girls hit him like they did their boyfriends.

Dick laughed. "I'm so glad I'm not them right now."

"I bet you are," Kori said, kissing his cheek. He wrapped his arm around her waist and they smiled at each other. "Wanna get a smoothie?"

Dick grinned. "Lead the way my princess."

TT

Leon helped Raven put her coat on as he spoke to her. "So how come you didn't go with your friends?"

Raven had told Leon about her day at school just as they were leaving the café.

Raven shrugged and fought not to blush. "Well, I promised to come and meet you here. Besides, I could care less about some dance."

"That's too bad. I'm one of the teachers who will be overlooking the dance. I would have loved to have someone to talk to while being there."

"Really?!... I mean, really?"

Leon nodded.

"Well I'm going too. I just asked Kori to pick up a costume for me."

"That's great," Leon said as he opened the door for her. "When you said you didn't care about the dance I thought you were implying that you weren't going. I'm glad you are going." Leon said softly with a warm smile on his face, turning to Raven once they were both outside. "Maybe we can keep each other company."

Raven's heart soared through the stars at that statement. She felt like she could melt right then and there. It made her happy to know that Leon valued her company. She valued his, that was for sure. Raven valued everything about him; his smile, his eyes and his intelligence. Raven wondered if he felt the same way... Perhaps he did. Why else would he have bothered to spend so much time with her?

Raven felt as if her heart was about to burst with the feelings she contained for Leon. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help but feel the way she did. The feelings she had for him was just itching to come out.

Raven took one look at Leon and her control snapped. Her feelings poured out into one chaste kiss.

Raven leaned against him, on her tippy toes and pushed her lips against Leon's. Her actions were so quick Leon didn't see it coming.

The kiss only lasted a couple of seconds but it felt like an eternity to Raven. She pulled away, hey eyes half lidded and expected to see that warm smile that she loved so much on Leon's face.

Instead she saw his frown. He turned his to the side to avoid eye contact and his voice was low and hoarse when he spoke to her, the complete opposite of his regular soft toned voice. "Raven... I'm your teacher."

Raven quickly stepped away from him as the thought of her actions and his words crashed down on her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she began to back away. "I have to go."

She turned around and fled.

Leon reached out his hand, his mouth parted, ready to stop her but instead he stood still and quiet. His raised hand dropped to his side and he sighed deeply as he spoke to himself. "I'm sorry, Raven."

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO cookiesruletheworld, jcyz, Agent of the Divine One, Koriand'r Grayson, Ace.04, sweetnsxy, cookiegurl15, BerryDrops, RavenSis, mysteree101, writing4eva, tennisgal456, SaoirseWaveglow, TerraBB4Eva, Lizzy, toonfan820, ClueRBS AND StarReader86 FOR THE LOVELY REVIEWS. YOU GUYS ARE ALL SO AWESOME!**

**NEXT CHAPTER: CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO FIVE, WHEN YOU OPEN THEM YOU WILL GET A BIG SURPRISE. THE HALLOWEEN DANCE HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!**

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	12. This is Halloween

Raven had done a lot of thinking about what happened between her and Leon.

Thinking back on it she decided that what she did was beyond foolish, it was down right insane. She cursed herself for being so stupid. Raven was mad at herself, but she was also mad at someone else.

That someone else was Leon.

It was partially his fault. He invited her to the café, he loved being in her company and he was always smiling at her. Raven couldn't help but think he was the least bit interested in her. Then again, maybe he was just playing with her emotions. Raven wouldn't put it past him.

The perfect image she had created in her mind of Leon was slowly being shattered with newfound distaste for him. Whatever the case may be it didn't matter now, she couldn't avoid Leon.

TT

"Raven, would you please wait." Leon called out as he jogged to catch up with her in the school hallway.

It was the morning of Halloween and even though Raven knew she couldn't avoid Leon she sure as hell was trying to.

She walked up to her locker and opened the door abruptly, nearly hitting Leon in the face in the process. Lucky for him he was fast enough to move in time. He side stepped to the other side that way Raven's locker door wouldn't hit him.

"Raven," he said softly. "We need to talk about what happened yesterday."

Raven was amazed at how coolly he was acting. Right about now she felt like she could burst into tears. Then she remembered that she was mad at him.

Raven shut her locker door and glared at him. "I have to get to class."

"You're making this a lot more complicated than it has to be."

"Well excuse me," Raven said, rolling her eyes. "I suppose it's because of my lack of passion. Now do me a favor and leave me alone... Just leave me alone, Le-... Mr. Malchior."

There was a sudden silence between the two and Raven turned away. Leon grabbed her hand before she could leave and looked at her with a serious yet gentle look. Raven felt as if she was being hypnotized by his eyes.

Leon kept his voice low and steady. "Sooner or later we're going to have to talk."

Raven quickly snatched her hand away and headed off to class.

TT

It was the beginning of sixth period and Kori was on her way to science class. She was walking by herself in the hallway when someone suddenly wrapped their arm around her shoulder. Kori turned her head to the side and saw that it was Xavier.

"Well look who decided to show up," Kori said tartly, removing Xavier's arm from around her shoulder. "Where have you been? I feel as if I haven't seen you in ages."

"I've been... busy." Xavier answered awkwardly. He had stared death in the eyes without even flinching and yet he was melting under Kori's glare.

"Busy," Kori crossed her arms and raised a brow. "To busy to give me a call or pick up the phone or even show up in school?"

"Oh come on, cutie," Xavier gave her 'the look'. "I'm sorry."

Kori's stern glare was fading away under 'the look' Xavier was giving her. Her frown changed into a smile and she laughed, giving Xavier a hug. "Okay, okay, okay, I forgive you! Enough with the look already!"

"Next time I'm out for a week I promise to call you." Xavier said as he intertwined their fingers. They held hands the entire time as they walked to science class together.

Once inside the classroom Kori and Xavier took their seats which were exactly next to each other since they were partners.

"Alright everyone, take your seats," Mr. Mumbo said as he prepared to close the door. "We'll be starting a new lesson today so--"

"Wait!" Babs ran into the classroom before Mr. Mumbo closed the door.

"Excuse me young lady, just what do you think you're doing barging into my classroom like that?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mumbo, it's just that I got transferred to this class."

"You got a paper confirming this doll face?"

Babs immediately handed a note to Mr. Mumbo. He snatched it from her hand and read it over.

"Well, looks like you are telling the truth. Goodie for me, one more student to torture-I mean teach," Mr.Mumbo chuckled. "Uh, why don't you take a seat behind Miss Anders. She's the gal with the red hair, you can't miss her."

Babs turned around and was surprised to see Kori sitting in the middle of the classroom. Kori spotted her and waved. Babs smiled and waved back, quickly making her way to the empty seat just behind Kori.

"I didn't know you had this class," Babs said, leaning forward and whispering to Kori.

"Trust me, I do not want to have this class," Kori whispered back. "Mr. Mumbo's lost a couple of his marbles if you get what I mean."

Both girls giggled.

"Hey, maybe we can work together." suggested Babs.

"No can do kid," Xavier said quickly, looking over at Babs. "Kori's my partner."

"Xavier, did you forget to bring your manners back with you when you returned to school," Kori scolded. She smiled softly at Babs. "Sorry about him. Xavier's a nice guy. Really he is."

"No I'm not."

Kori elbowed Xavier in the ribs and he playfully nudged her back.

"Okay, enough goofing off...," said Mr. Mumbo sternly, glaring at the class. He grinned and pulled out a bouquet of flowers from his sleeve. "That's my job!" Mr. Mumbo laughed and then turned serious. "But seriously, no goofing off."

The class had no intention of goofing off and remained silent.

"Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," Mr. Mumbo threw a dirty look at Babs who shrunk in her seat. "We'll be starting a new lesson today so I thought it would be best if we saw a movie!"

The class began to cheer and high five each other.

"A documentary movie!"

The class groaned.

Mr. Mumbo rolled the old television he had in his room up front and pressed play on the DVD player. It wasn't long till students began to fall asleep and whisper with each other to pass the time.

Kori yawned and leaned her head against Xavier's shoulder. Xavier wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her a little closer, and rested his head above hers.

Babs smirked. This sure was an interesting sight... Perhaps she could use this to her advantage.

TT

The hours seemed to fly by and it soon became eight o' clock. Jump City High School's Halloween dance had officially begun and the students were just pouring in, dressed in costumes of all kinds.

At the entrance of the gym stood Kori, Karen, Jenn, Jade, Toni and Raven. Each girl was dressed to perfection in the costume of her choice.

Kori was dressed as a princess. She had on a long yellow dress that fell to the floor. It was form fitting at the top and loose at the bottom. It covered her shoulders but exposed her collar bone. Kori also had on long white gloves that went past the elbow. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun with two loose strands that were curled to frame her face. Yellow shoes completed her outfit.

Karen had come to the dance dressed as a genie. The light pink fabric had see through sleeves for the belly shirt and came with pink, puffy, pants. Karen had on red flats that matched perfectly with the red cloth that was hiding her face, which was attached to the pink hat on her head. Her hair was in two buns like usual.

Jenn was dressed up as a sexy cop. She had on a short sleeved, navy blue, mini dressed that ended mid-thigh. Her hair was in pigtails and on top of her head was the typical style police office hat with a yellow badge in the middle. She had on black calf high boots and her dress was unbuttoned just a bit to expose some cleavage.

Jade was by her side, dressed as an anime school girl. She had on a white, long sleeved shirt that had a green sailor collar with a red bow. She wore brown shoes with white socks that ended just below her knee and a green skirt.

Toni came as a french maid. Toni's outfit was the typical maid style with the black dress and white apron only it exposed cleavage, her shoulders and her collar bone as well as her long legs to give it a sexy edge. The fish-net stockings was an extra touch done by Toni along with the red heels. She also had on a little white hat on her head.

Raven's witch costume fit her perfectly. It was all black with see through sleeves and a u-shape style on the front. The skirt was long but had two cuts along the side of it that went all the way up to her hip. Raven wore black leggings underneath to not expose anything. Her ankle black boots and black witch hat completed the outfit.

"Uh, what's taking the boys so long," complained Toni, crossing her arms. "I wanna get my groove on."

Raven rose a brow. "Did you just say groove?"

"I bet they're waiting on Wally," said Jenn tartly. "Him and his 'wardrobe malfunctions' is enough to make anyone late."

"I could care less about the party itself," Jade said. "I just want some food."

"Maybe we should just head inside and meet up with them there." Karen suggested.

"No wait," Kori said abruptly, pointing down the hall. "Here they come now."

When Kori saw Dick in his costume she felt weak in the knees. Dick was prince charming, and was he ever charming. The navy blue costume had gold lining and showed off how well built his upper body was. He had on black boots.

Next to him was Roy who, like Dick, had also dressed as a fairy tale character. He was Robin Hood. Roy was dressed in green with red boots and a green hat. The green hat had a red feather attached to it.

Next to Roy was Alain. Alain was dressed as a pirate. He had on a white shirt that was half way unbuttoned, exposing most of his chest. The costume included black pants and black boots. On his head was a red bandanna.

Vic was dressed as a pimp. He had on a white suit with purple lining. A white hat sat upon his head with a purple feather attached to it. Purple tinted shades were on his face and he had on white shoes.

Next to Vic was Wally in his magician costume. It was an all black suit with a white shirt and white gloves. There was a red bow tie around his neck and black shoes adorned his feet. A black magicians hat with a red strap on it sat upon his head.

Gar came to the dance dressed as Naruto. He had the orange jumpsuit, the blue sandals and the blue head band. When the girls saw Gar they gasped.

"Holy crap, Gar, your hair is blonde!"

"What happened to the green?" Kori questioned, looking at Gar curiously.

Gar ran a hand through his blonde hair and smiled. "I wanted to play the part so I figured I should just dye my hair blonde. It's only temporary. I'll go back to green soon," Gar smiled at Kori. "But enough about me, look at you. Kori, you are so gonna have to save a dance for me."

Kori giggled.

"Ease up, Gar," Dick said, pushing his way in between the green eyed teens. "Kori's here with me and I do not plan on sharing." Dick smiled at Kori and kissed her hand. "You look lovely my princess."

"And you look drop dead gorgeous my prince. Shall we go inside now?"

Dick linked arms with Kori and lead her inside. "We shall."

"Holy crap! Jade, you look just like Kagome!" shouted Gar excitedly.

"Ka-who?" Jade rose a brow in confusion.

"It's a cartoon character," Roy explained. "Ready to go?"

"Am I! I can't wait to get to that food." Jade said, snatching Roy's hand and rushing them inside.

Toni winked at Alain. "What do you think, Alain? Do you like my costume?"

Alain's mouth was agape and he numbly nodded.

Toni giggled and grabbed his hand, pulling him inside the gym. "Well it looks like my goal was accomplished."

"Wow... Jenn... you look hot!"

"Thank you, Wally. So do you." Jenn winked at Wally, causing him to blush. He took her hand and walked inside with her.

"Well, what do you think babe," Vic asked Karen, rolling his hips. "Do you like?"

"Do I like," Karen stepped up to Vic in a seductive way. "Baby, I... hate it!"

"Wha--"

"What the hell possessed you to come dressed as a pimp! Do you have any idea how humiliating this is!"

Karen began to repeatedly hit Vic and yell at him while people who passed by, along with Gar and Raven, watched.

"Uh... should we help him?"

"I could care less." Raven said dryly, walking away.

Gar shrugged and walked into the gym, joining the party.

TT

"What is wrong with you, Mandy," Kitten screeched. "You ruined everything!"

Mandy rolled her eyes.

"We were supposed to come as cute, sexy, animals," Kitten continued. "That was the theme we agreed on and yet you show up like _this_!"

Mandy had arrived at the Halloween dance dressed as Sandy from Grease. She had the red shoes, the red lipstick and the black outfit. Her hair was curled and she wore a black leather jacket.

Her costume stood out from the animal theme Kitten and Cindy had going on. Kitten was dressed in a black leather jumpsuit that hugged her body and exposed cleavage. She had on black high heels and black cat ears. Cindy had on white bunny ears and a white corset with black shorts and black fish-net stockings. There was a white puff ball that served as a white bunny tail attached to her shorts and she had on black heels.

"Kitten's right," Cindy said angrily, glaring at Mandy. "You were supposed to be a puppy to fit in the group. Why did you decide to dress up as a drag-queen?"

Mandy slapped her forehead at Cindy's comment. "I'm Sandy from Grease, Cindy."

"Oh."

"Listen, girls, I just wanted to try something different. We've been doing the animal theme since we were kids."

"And you broke tradition! That's like, against the rules."

"What rules?" Mandy asked, glaring at Kitten.

"My rules!" Kitten shouted, glaring right back.

"Oh come on girls, can't we just have a good time?" Cindy asked, playing the role of peace keeper, something she had been doing ever since they were all kids.

"Fine, but _she_," Kitten threw a dirty look at Mandy's direction. "Better not think she can break any more rules."

"Fine! I won't break your stupid rules!" Mandy bit back, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Yay, you two made up! Now we can go and party." Cindy said cheerfully, grabbing both Kitten and Mandy's hands and pulling them to the dance floor.

TT

Gan growled in anger. "You're wrong. You're just plain wrong!"

Micheal narrowed his eyes. "You need to face facts already kid."

Gan and Micheal had bumped into each other at the food table not that long ago and had seen each others costumes. Gan was dressed up as Eric Cartman from South Park and Micheal was dressed up as Peter Griffen from Family Guy. They had got to talking about the character they were dressed up as and then about the show itself. What started out as a friendly conversation about cartoons quickly led to a full blown argument. Gan claimed that South Park was the funniest show while Micheal supported Family Guy.

"I'm telling you that South Park would kick Family Guy's ass!"

"And I'm telling you that it can't! Family Guy is way cooler than South Park!"

"Hey, you wanna take this outside man because we can take this outside!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there little brother," Tavis said, quickly intervening between Gar and Micheal. Tavis was dressed as Harry Potter and he was currently playing his older brother card. Tavis was the oldest by only a few minutes but Gan looked up to Tavis so the older brother card usually worked. "Instead of ruffing it up how about you and me go scan the room for some ladies."

While Tavis tried to calm Gan down, Seemore, who was dressed as Zorro, tried to calm down Micheal.

"Easy there, Mammoth," Seemore said, using Micheal's nickname. He lowered his voice. "We have to lay low, remember? Xavier's orders."

Micheal reluctantly walked away. "I still think that kid was wrong about Family Guy."

TT

Gar sighed as he was stuck in a corner talking to Elliot and swirled his punch around. He couldn't find a girl to dance with and all of his friends were currently busy so Elliot was the next best thing for company.

"And so, that is why I, Elliot, decided to come as Luke Skywalker for this Halloween dance." Elliot said dramatically, making a pose that showed he was proud of himself.

"Yeah that's uh... yeah." Gar said dully. In all honesty he hadn't paid any attention to what Elliot had said. He sighed and dropped his head. So far this Halloween dance wasn't any fun at all for him.

TT

Mandy giggled at another one of Billy's jokes. She was leaning against the wall and Billy was standing in front of her. The two had met up at the dance floor and hadn't separated since.

"So how about it little lady, can I get your number?" Billy asked.

"Well I don't know," Mandy said in a sultry voice. "Should I trust a cowboy?"

Billy chuckled and tipped his cowboy hat. He was dressed as a cowboy for the Halloween dance. It reminded him of his grandparents home in Texas. "Well I reckon you should take a chance. I'm not all that bad when you get to know me."

"Well... You are cute. I guess I can--"

"Mandy!"

"Oh crap," Mandy slapped her forehead in frustration at the sound of Kitten's voice and groaned. "What does she want now?"

"Mandy, what do you think you're doing?" Kitten asked.

"I was just--"

"Come with me." Kitten demanded, pulling Mandy far away from Billy.

"What the hell, Kitten," Mandy shouted angrily, snatching her hand away. "Billy and I was just talking."

"Did you forget who Billy works for? In case you've forgotten he works for Xavier," Kitten hissed, keeping her voice as low as possible. "Don't you remember that promise you and Cindy made me last summer? You both promised to help me get my revenge. Kori and her friends need to suffer for what they did to Fang. Xavier and his goons need to suffer for what they did to Fang. Now either you help me or I make your life a living hell."

Mandy sighed. She felt as if she had just been backed into a corner. "Fine, whatever... I'll help you."

Kitten smirked. "That's what I thought you would say."

TT

A slow dance song was playing as Dick and Kori swayed back and forth gracefully on the dance floor. Dick pulled Kori close and held on to her as if he never wanted to let go.

"What are you smiling about?" Kori asked him, breaking him from his daze.

"What reason would I have not to smile?" Dick countered back.

Kori giggled. "Touche."

"I'm having a wonderful time with you, Kori. And, again, you look beautiful."

"Compliments. Hmm, must mean that you want something."

"Hey, I meant every word that I said... but you caught me," Dick grinned at her. "How's about a kiss for your prince charming?"

"I thought you would never ask."

Just as they were leaning into each other, someone interrupted. That someone just so happened to be Xavier dressed as a vampire.

"Mind if I cut in?" he asked.

Xavier didn't bother for an answer and stole Kori away. He maneuvered Kori quickly, giving Dick little time to protest and get his date back. Dick was left standing in the middle of the dance floor as he glared at Xavier's form. How dare Xavier interrupt their kiss, hadn't they had enough interruptions last year?

Dick wasn't left alone for long after Xavier stole Kori from him. A girl, dressed as Daphne from Scooby-Doo tapped his shoulder.

"Wanna dance?"

Dick was shocked to see that the girl was Babs. He smiled at her and accepted her offer. His hands landed on her waist while her hands went to his shoulders.

"Nice costume," Dick commented. "It fits you well."

"Thank you. So does yours," Babs said. "So I'm guessing if your prince charming than Kori is your princess. But since I don't see her here I'm guessing she's turned Cinderella and left to meet curfew."

"Close, but no. Look behind you."

Babs did as she was told and turned around. Although she didn't show it she was glad to see Kori and Xavier dancing together. They looked to be having a good time with each other.

"Dracula does a lot more than suck blood these days," Dick said bitterly. "Apparently he also steals dates." Dick sighed. "But Kori is having a good time. I guess that's all that matters."

Babs saw her chance and she took it. "Yeah, she looks really happy dancing with him. They seem really close."

"They are."

"A little too close if you ask me."

Dick rose a brow. "What do you mean?"

"I just think that maybe there's a little bit more than friendship there between them. Haven't you ever wondered if they were interested in each other?"

"I know Kori only thinks of Xavier as a friend but... I don't trust Xavier at all."

"He did seem possessive over Kori during class."

This caught Dick's attention. "What do you mean?"

Babs bit her lip. "I didn't want to say anything but today during class Xavier had his arm around Kori and she was leaning against him. I don't think Kori was even aware, she seemed really tired, but Xavier just kind of dived right in there."

"Is that so..." Dick was sending death glares towards Xavier. Oh how he wished he could just strangle him over and over and over again.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Kori seems dedicated to you. Why don't we just," Babs moved closer to Dick so that their bodies were touching and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Focus on our dance."

"Maybe some other time." Dick said absently, moving away from Babs and heading towards Kori's direction. It was about time he took back his girlfriend from that thief Xavier.

"C'mon, cutie," Dick overheard Xavier pleading. "One more dance."

"Sorry, Xavier. Maybe some other time," Kori responded, kissing Xavier's cheek. "I should get back to Dick."

Kori left Xavier's side and looked around the gym, her eyes scanning for Dick, when she felt someone wrap their arms around her from behind. She knew who those arms belonged to. "Hello, Dick."

Dick kissed her neck, all the worries and troubles he had not that long ago leaving him. "Hello, Kori. How about we finish that dance now."

TT

"Jenn, where are we going?" Wally asked as Jenn pulled him outside, leaving the gym and the party behind. They were in the school's parking lot now.

"We're going to my car," Jenn responded, her cheeks a little pink. For what reason, Wally had no idea. "I have a surprise for you."

Wally didn't know what to make of any of this so he stood silent and followed Jenn. They arrived at her car and Jenn gestured him into the back seat. Once inside she locked the doors and turned to him with a face Wally couldn't recognize. There was so many emotions to that one face she wore right now; love, lust, passion, eagerness, excitement and perhaps even fear.

"Jenn, what--"

She placed her finger on his lips, silencing him.

"Close your eyes." she demanded softly, her voice coaxing him to follow her orders.

Wally did as he was told and his eyes closed. He could feel Jenn's hands guiding his own, her hands pushing his upward. Then, suddenly, he could feel cold metal on his wrist and hear the snap of something clasping together. He opened his eyes in alarm and was shocked to find that he was handcuffed to the handlebar above the window. Jenn had a smile on her face when he looked at her.

"Why did you handcuff me?"

"It's part of your surprise." Jenn said seductively, her hands running down his chest and to his pants where her fingers began to unbuttoned and unzip. She lowered her head and Wally gasped.

TT

Raven ran her finger along the rim of her glass, feeling absolutely bored. She barely noticed when Kori, Karen, Toni and Jade joined her. Someone cleared their throat, catching Raven's attention.

Raven sighed. "What?"

"Are you okay, Raven," Karen asked. "You've been sitting down at this table all night."

"I'm fine." Raven answered dully. She really wanted to be alone right now.

"C'mon, Raven," said Toni with a wide smile on her face. "This is a party. You're supposed to have fun."

"I'm not in the mood right now," Raven said, standing up. She had to get away, at least for a little while. "I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

Raven walked away, leaving the others behind. The others were willing to give her some space, but Kori wasn't. Kori knew something was wrong and she wanted to help Raven anyway she could.

"I'm going after her." Kori said, walking away and following Raven's trail.

The others were left in silence.

"Hey," Jade said abruptly, looking around. "Where's Jenn?"

TT

Raven rubbed her temples. Everything that happened with Leon and this annoying dance was giving her one big headache. She was happy to be walking down the hall by herself, it gave her some time to clear her head.

"Raven?"

Raven stopped dead in her tracks. That voice... She turned around and confirmed her suspicion.

Leon was standing right there looking absolutely gorgeous dressed as the Phantom from the Phantom of the Opera.

"We need to talk." he said, taking off his mask and putting it away.

"I should have seen this coming." Raven mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Raven, I'm sorry if I lead you on--"

"It's not your fault," Raven said evenly, trying to keep a level head and not lose her temper. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I should have known better. I mean, no one would go for a girl like me..."

"I think you are a wonderful girl, Raven," Leon said gently, taking her hand in his. "If you were only older than I would love to be with you and get to know you on a more personal level."

"But you're my teacher," Raven said bitterly. "And nothing could ever happen between us because of that even though we both want something more."

"I'm sorry--"

"Oh, would you stop apologizing," Raven shouted at him, her eyes rimming with unshed tears. So much for keeping a level head. "I don't want to hear that you're sorry and I don't want to hear that we can't be together. I've heard it all before. I get it okay, I get it! Now if you'll excuse me I'll be on my way and we can put this all behind--"

Raven's sentence was cut short.

She could feel the cold radiating off of the metal lockers and on to her back. She could feel the heat radiating off of Leon's hands and on to her shoulders. She could feel his soft lips upon her own lips. Raven hadn't noticed how sweet a kiss from him could be like, since their last kiss was quick and rushed. All thoughts disappeared and a feeling of bliss burst from within. They were caught in the moment, time itself seemed to have frozen. Raven didn't want the moment to end but the need for air caused her and Leon to part.

Leon leaned his forehead against her own and spoke softly, in the same tone of voice Raven loved to hear.

"We'll have to keep this a secret, you and I. No one could ever know."

"I understand." Raven said, her voice soft and gentle, so unlike her usual monotone. She closed her eyes and kissed him, hoping to relive that moment she experienced only a few seconds ago. She held him and he held her.

It was supposed to be a secret, but little did Leon and Raven know, Kori had seen the whole thing.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO Koriand'r Grayson, toonfan820, cookiesruletheworld, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, SuPeR HyPeR chick 101, jcyz, writing4eva, Ace.04, BerryDrops, Agent of the Divine One, SaoirseWaveglow, raeXXstarry AND sweetnsxy FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS.**

**OKAY, ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED WITH WALLY AND JENN IN THE BACK SEAT OF HER CAR... WHAT CAN I SAY? TEENS ARE SEXUALLY ACTIVE AND THIS IS A STORY ABOUT TEENAGERS IN HIGH SCHOOL. THIS KIND OF STUFF HAPPENS.**

**ALRIGHT NOW, USUALLY I WOULD POST A CLUE ABOUT WHAT THE NEXT CHAPTER IS GOING TO BE ABOUT BUT INSTEAD I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU ALL A CLUE ABOUT WHAT'S TO COME CONCERNING THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS. READY? HERE IT COMES: **

**THE COUPLE THAT YOU THOUGHT WOULD NEVER SPLIT, TOTALLY SPLITS.**

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	13. In fate's hands

It was the first school day of November and the thrill of October had passed. It was Monday, meaning that the weekend was over and it was time to get back to work in Jump City High School. Currently it was first period and the student were all taking their seats.

Mr. Mod tapped his cane against the floor to grab everyone's attention. "Alright my duckies settle down. I have an announcement to make."

Once the class was completely silent Mr. Mod cleared his throat and continued.

"My first announcement is that we are going to have an essay due on Friday," Mr. Mod smirked when he heard the class groan. "And as for my second announcement..."

Gar crossed his fingers and began to chant. "Please don't let it be a pop quiz. Please don't let it be a pop quiz. Oh please, oh please, don't let it be a pop quiz."

"I want you all to gather up your things," said Mr. Mod finally. "We're going to the gym for a career fair!"

The class stood silent.

Cindy raised her hand. "What's a career fair?"

"A career fair is when people from different organizations and jobs come together and try to convince students that their job is the right career choice for you. And we're going to be there for awhile so unfortunately you won't have class until after your lunch period."

"YES! Woohoo!" Vic pumped his fist and cheered loudly.

"Go ahead and cheer. Just wait for tomorrow," muttered Mr. Mod. "Now grab your things and let's go! You don't want to be late for the career fair now do you?"

TT

The gym was packed by the time the junior students had arrived. They couldn't believe their eyes. The gym was covered with booths as far as the eye can see and each booth represented a different occupation. Students immediately began to look around. All but two that is.

Dick and Roy seemed to be glued to the doorway.

"Go on you two," Mr. Mod insisted. "The booths don't bite now shoo!"

"No offense, Mr. Mod," began Roy. "But there's really no point to me being here. My future is already planned out. Once Ollie retires I'll take over OQ Industries."

Mr. Mod eyed Dick. "That's his excuse. What's yours?"

Dick smirked. "Wayne Enterprises."

Mr. Mod patted both boys on the shoulder and smirked wickedly. "Either you two go and explore or I'll give extra homework tomorrow. Your choice."

Roy and Dick eyed each other, their response quickly leaving their mouths at the same time. "Explore."

Mr. Mod chuckled. "That's what I thought."

TT

Raven held two pamphlets in her hand. One was about the wonderful career choice of journalism and the other was about all the great aspects of being an author. Raven didn't know which one she liked better. Journalism seemed exciting but who could pass up the chance of writing their own book.

"Personally I'd go with the one on the right."

Raven smirked. It was hard not to recognize the voice of one you cared so much about. She turned around and held up the pamphlet in her right hand. "You think I would make a great author?"

Leon smiled. "I think you would make a great anything. Which ever career you choose you will shine. Your talents in writing are near perfect."

"I can't help but think that's a bit of a bias statement. You know, considering the relationship between you and I."

"My statements are not bias, only truthful," Leon told her. He lowered his voice so only she would hear. "I really want to kiss you right now."

"Do you think we can get away?" Raven whispered back.

"Perhaps. With all of the commotion going on... meet me downstairs in ten minutes." Leon said, before taking his leave.

Raven smiled. Her relationship with Leon was not only romantic but also quiet thrilling.

TT

"Oh! This is so wild," Toni screamed, a laugh escaping her mouth. "Can you believe what that woman from the fashion industry told me? She likes my style. My style! She thinks I can fit in perfectly in the fashion world!"

"I'm really happy for you, Toni." Alain murmured.

Toni paused, her happy demeanor hitting a stand still. She looked at Alain with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"Okay fish boy," Toni began, standing before Alain. "What's wrong?"

Alain sighed. "It's nothing. Let's drop it."

Toni crossed her arms in defiance. Her and Alain were a team, and if something was bothering him she had a right to know. Alain, seeing the look of determination on her face, gave up.

"It's just that... all of this is overwhelming. I mean, you guys already have a clue at what you want and I'm..."

"Oh, Alain, come here," Toni said, wrapping her arms around his neck. She understood what he was going through. Looking at the future and the unknown that it held was a terrifying thing, especially if you were a student in high school. "It's okay. You still have a lot of time to consider what career you want for yourself."

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

"Wait a minute, is that a smile? Is that a smile on your face," Toni joked, leaning in close to Alain's face. Alain chuckled at her actions. Toni always knew how to put him in a good mood. "Well, it looks like I did my job. Now c'mon. Let's go nab some dessert from that chef table we passed by."

TT

"Ladies, ladies, please calm down and wait your turn," pleaded Lucy Smith. She was the assistant to Phey Zzon and together they were managing a booth about the career choice of modeling. Lucy didn't realize that so many girls were interested in modeling so when a stampede of them came rushing up to their booth she became overwhelmed. Lucy turned her head. "Hey, Phey. Would you mind helping me out here?"

Phey ignored the plea for help and continued shuffling through photos of girls who had taken pictures for him that were interested in modeling. Phey shook his head in disappointment. "What a pity. Not one of these girls have the skills required to become a model."

With this said Phey tossed all of the pictures into a trash can underneath his table booth.

Lucy screamed. "Phey! Those photos were potential models for our agency!"

"Be quiet, Lucy," Phey said harshly. Lucy immediately went silent. "This is my business and I make the choices. And I refuse to sponsor a silly little school girl with no talent. I don't know why we even bothered coming here. This was such a wa-..."

Lucy became curious as to why Phey suddenly became silent. "Phey?... Mr. Zzon?"

Phey's voice became a murmur and his gaze intense. "She's... beautiful."

"Who? Who's beautiful?" Lucy questioned, looking over the crowd of girls lined up before the booth. To her surprise Phey walked away from the booth completely.

Not that far from the modeling booth was Jade and Kori. They were standing together, their eyes focused on a pamphlet in Jade's hand. Phey approached them.

"Excuse me," he said, catching their attention, his eyes focused on Kori. "I'm head at a modeling agency and I was completely stunned by your beauty. Please, may I know your name?"

Jade gave Kori a little push to get the stunned red head speaking.

"Oh, um, I'm Kori Anders." Kori said, extending her hand for a shake.

"I'm honored to meet you Miss Anders," Phey said politely, kissing her hand instead of shaking it. "I'm Phey Zzon."

"Hey, I've heard of you," Jade said. "You're that guy that makes models famous."

Phey smirked. "You can say that, yes."

Kori and Jade got a good look at the smirking Phey. He was tall and well built. He had tanned skin and dark green eyes. His black hair was long and ended mid back. His chin was coated with a well shaved black beard.

"So, Mr. Zzon, is there anything we can do for you?" Kori asked.

"As a matter of fact there is," he said. "Kori, how would you like to be a model?"

Kori laughed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not into modeling."

"But you would be perfect for it," insisted Phey. "Please, just give it a chance."

"No thanks."

"Oh come on, Kori," persuaded Jade. "It'll be fun. Go for it."

"Well... I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Thank you. I promise you won't regret this," Phey said. "This way to my booth."

Phey led Kori to the modeling booth with Jade following close behind.

TT

"Okay," Vic began. "I've got robotics, engineering and sports."

"Wow, Vic," Karen began. "That's a lot you got there."

"I know. I figured if one career doesn't work out I would have something to fall back on. What did you pick?"

"Oh... nothing." Karen said, hiding the pamphlet in her hand in her sweater pocket.

"What's that?"

"Huh?"

"What was it that you just put in your pocket?"

"It's nothing," Karen insisted. "So, which do you like better: robotics, engineering or sports?"

"I would like to know what it was that you put in you pocket."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"No."

"Well too bad buddy cause I'm not going to show you anything." Karen said, crossing her arms and pointing out her tongue.

Vic narrowed his eyes and stepped up to her. With in seconds Vic had Karen consumed in laughter. His fingers worked magic in the tickle department. Karen was so busy laughing she didn't even notice that Vic had slipped the pamphlet from her pocket.

"Hey! Give it back!" Karen shouted once she realized what had happened.

"Relax, I'm gonna give it back... once I get a quick look at it." Vic said, opening up the pamphlet. "Music... singing. You never told me you wanted to be a singer. I mean, I knew you liked singing but--"

"But nothing," Karen snapped, snatching the pamphlet back. "This means nothing... It's nothing." Karen wiped away the tears that came to her eyes due to the overwhelming emotions she was feeling. "Not like I would make a good singer anyway."

Vic wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek, smiling at her. "I think you would make a great singer. And if it's something you really want to do it I'll support you."

Karen leaned against him, a wide smile on her face. "That's why I love you."

TT

Xavier leaned against the wall, his eyes observing the scene around him. Students all around were walking, talking, reading and observing. They seemed genuinely concerned about what options were open to them and which career they wanted. Billy, Seemore and Micheal had even joined the affair and were lost amongst the crowd. They had asked Xavier to join them, but Xavier chose to lean back. All this fuse about careers and the future meant nothing to him.

In Xavier's eyes, his future was already planned out. He had a business to run.

His situation was similar to that of Dick, Roy and Kori, but at the same time it was completely different. Unlike them, he had already inherited the family business, the business that his brother had passed down to him when he left Jump City.

Xavier leaned his head back and took a deep breath. "This is _sooo_ pointless."

"Maybe for you."

Xavier turned his head to the side, his lips shaping into a frown. "Kitten, to what do I owe the displeasure?"

"What, can't two friends just get together and chat," Kitten asked with a sweet smile on her face, placing her hand on Xavier's chest. "Have you been working out?"

Xavier grabbed her hand and forced it away. "We're not friends, we never were. And _don't_ touch me."

"Your bad boy act doesn't scare me, Xavier. Want to know why?"

"I'm sure you're going to tell me even if I say no."

"I'm not scared of you because I know your secret. And I know that in the future you'll be nothing. Being a criminal can only take you so far, and with you, I'm thinking centimeters at the most."

"Is there a point to you telling me all this, Kitten?"

"I'm willing to make you an offer."

"Whatever you're selling I ain't buying." Xavier said dryly, leaving the gym and entering the empty hallway. Kitten followed him.

"I think you would change your mind after you hear what I have to say...," Kitten saw that Xavier wasn't paying attention so she decided to play her trump card. "Fine! Don't listen. I guess that Kori will be a victim then."

Xavier had moved so fast Kitten hadn't even realized it. She found herself pinned against the wall with Xavier's hand pressing against her throat.

"Don't ever, _ever_, threaten Kori." Xavier growled, releasing Kitten.

Kitten gasped for air and rubbed her throat. That was a cord she wouldn't touch again.

"What is it that you want?" Xavier asked, his voice low.

"I need cash. A lot of it."

"So, just get your rich daddy to give you money."

"As much as my father loves me it is unfortunate for me to say that he won't supply me with the amount I need. And if he did it would mean a lame birthday party and fewer trips to the mall," Kitten responded. "Which is why I need to get the cash from some place else. You."

Xavier rose a brow. "Just how much are we talking here?"

"One million."

"What the fuck," Xavier shook his head. "There is no way in hell that I'm giving you that much cash."

"Not even if I agree to keep your secret?"

Judging by the expression on Xavier's face Kitten knew she just scored big. She walked over to him with a confidence boosted ego.

"You give me the money and I keep your secret. Which means little Kori Anders won't ever have to know that you're a low life gangster," Kitten extended her hand. "What do you say, Xavier? Do you want to protect Kori from the truth or not?"

Xavier swallowed hard, cursing Kitten to hell for the position she had put him in. No doubt she had learned all these sly tactics from Fang.

Reluctantly Xavier extended his hand, grasping Kitten's smaller hand in his much larger one. "Deal."

TT

Gar had been wandering around the gym looking at booths for what felt like hours. He just couldn't find a career that he liked. Nothing seemed to capture his interest. That's when he heard someone speaking to him.

"Hey, hey you! Boy with the green hair!"

Gar turned his head to the side, looking puzzled. He walked over to a booth that a middle-aged man was managing.

"Uh... can I help you sir?"

"You sure can," the man said cheerfully, showing off a big toothy grin. "I think you're the perfect person to be apart of the acting world."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because you got the looks and the style. Take a few classes and you'll defiantly have the talent."

"Well... I do have good looks and style," Gar said coolly, smirking. "The ladies love me." Gar decided to demonstrate his skills by calling out to a random girl who was very pretty. She just so happened to be in one of his classes. "What's up, Rebecca? You and me. Friday night, be there."

Rebecca looked at Gar as if he had grown a second head. "Don't talk to me freak."

Gar turned away. "She's... playing hard to get."

"Right... So how about it kid, wanna sign up for my Shining Star program? Young people like yourself will get the training necessary to become skilled actors and actresses."

"You know what," Gar began, a smile on his face. "Sign me up."

"You're making a good choice kid," said the man, handing Gar some papers. "Everything you need to know about the program is in the pamphlet."

"Alright then, thanks mister." Gar said, before walking away.

"Troy, did you just scam another kid into signing up for your program?" asked a woman, stepping inside the booth.

"Oh, Kelly," began Troy. "Scam is such a strong word."

Kelly crossed her arms. "Did you or did you not?"

"Yeah, I did... But this time I promise to actually help the kids learn!"

Kelly slapped her forehead, this wasn't going to end well.

TT

The school day was over and the afternoon had officially began. Wally and Jenn had decided to go to their favorite pizzeria as soon as school was over for some alone time. Jenn was currently biting into her pizza crust while Wally spoke to her.

"Why do you think I won't make a good chef?"

"Because," Jenn began, wiping her hands off with a napkin. "You'll eat the food before you even serve it."

"Okay, point taken. But don't you think I would make a good doctor?"

"No."

"How about being a cop? I run fast. I could catch the bad guy in no time."

"I would rather you pick a career that won't have bullets flying at your head."

"So that's out," Wally said, crumpling up yet another pamphlet. "What did you pick?"

"Creative arts," Jenn said proudly. "I want to be a painter."

"Cool," Wally bit his lip and looked over at his girlfriend. "Jenn, could we talk about something?"

"Sure," Jenn said as she put her soda down, looking over at Wally. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Well... we never actually got to talk about what happened during the Halloween dance."

"So? What's your point?"

"I was just wondering, you know, about why you did it."

"Honestly I don't know why I did. It's just as of lately I've been having all these thoughts and urges--"

"So have I," Wally interrupted. "Does this mean that you want to..."

"No. Not yet," Jenn smirked at him, rubbing his knee from under the table. "But that doesn't mean we can't do other things."

"Like what?"

Jenn leaned in closer and whispered in Wally's ear. The expression on his face was changing from shocked to happy and then to excitement.

Wally looked at her with surprised eyes. "We can do that?"

Jenn smiled and nodded.

"Then why are we just sitting here? Let's go!" Wally said with excitement in his voice, taking her hand and pulling her up. They quickly grabbed their things and left the pizzeria.

TT

Phey rubbed his chin, his eyes unblinking as he sat at his computer desk. Using his right hand he clicked on the picture he was looking at, doubling it's size. He began observing every detail of the photo he was looking at.

Her curves were perfect and her skin was flawless. She had toned legs that were long and seemed endless. Her hair was long and thick and brilliant in color. Those emerald eyes could be mistaken for stars.

Phey leaned back in his chair, impressed and satisfied. "Yes, she will do quite nicely."

Phey made a promise to get in touch with Kori Anders soon, very soon.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO jcyz, Koriand'r Grayson, cookiesruletheworld, StarReader86, chittychittybangbang16, BerryDrops, Ace.04, Agent of the Divine One, SaoirseWaveglow, Star 4 Robin, raeXXstarry, writing4eva, sweetnsxy, TerraBB4Eva, tennisgal456, cookiegurl15, Among the Betrayed, xStarfireRobin4everx, mysteree101 AND Lizzy FOR THE GREAT REVIEWS! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! YOU GUYS AWESOME!**

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	14. Encounter

Roy hugged his pillow closer to himself and turned around, away from the glare of the sunlight being cast from his window. He felt so peaceful and comfortable. The bed was so soft and warm. Roy didn't want to get up, even though he knew he would so he could get ready for school. Even so, no one was bothering him, he could probably stay in bed for a little while longer.

Roy smiled and snuggled up in his blanket, Nothing could ruin his peace right now.

Nothing, yes. But someone... that was a different story.

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!"

Roy fell out of bed at the sound of a high pitch scream. He instantly recognized the owner of the scream. "Jade?!"

Frightened and worried, Roy tried to stand up so he could bolt to Jade's room. He didn't notice the blanket that was curled around his legs and feet. As soon as he tried to run he fell.

"Shit," Roy kicked his blanket away and ran out his bedroom door. He ran to Jade's room and pushed the door open. "Jade, what's wrong?!"

Jade looked at Roy curiously. "What are you doing in my room?"

"What do you mean, 'what are you doing in my room'," Roy said. "I heard you scream."

"You did?"

"Yes! Yes I did!"

Ollie and Dinah appeared by Jade's door.

"Is everything okay?" Ollie asked.

"We heard someone scream." Dinah explained.

"Sorry, that was me," Jade told them sheepishly. "Uh, false alarm?"

"I'm going to go make some coffee." Dinah murmured.

"I'll come with you." Ollie responded, following Dinah down the hallway and to the stairs.

Roy waited for their footsteps to be unheard before closing Jade's bedroom door. He took a moment to observe Jade's room. Jeans, shirts and numerous other types of clothing was thrown across the entire room.

"Okay," Roy was rather confused about the situation. His eyes gazed over at Jade who was currently sitting on her bed. She had a green, graphic tee in her hands and she was staring at it mournfully. "Now that Ollie and Dinah are gone, how about you tell me why you screamed."

"This is my favorite shirt," Jade uttered. "And it doesn't fit me anymore!" Jade threw the shirt across the room. She picked up some more clothes and threw them. "Neither does my favorite skirt, or my favorite jeans!"

Jade plopped down on her back, her eyes looking up at the ceiling. Roy sat next to her.

"You can always get new clothes." Roy offered, trying to help mend the situation. He didn't see what the big deal was.

"You don't understand, Roy... I know the clothes can be replaced but..."

"But, what?"

"I'm getting fat."

Roy rose a brow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, I'm fat. F. A. T. Fat! I'm practically a cow!" Jade whimpered.

Roy took a moment to look Jade over. He could tell why some of her clothes weren't fitting her anymore, her stomach was getting bigger. She was beginning to show.

"Don't be upset, Jade," Roy laid down next to Jade on his side. One of his hands was used to support his head and the other rested on Jade's stomach. "You're only getting bigger because of the baby."

"I know... but I still feel like a fat cow."

"Jade, you're beautiful," Roy kissed her cheek. "And I don't care what you like. I love you even if you are a fat cow."

Jade glared at Roy. "What?"

Roy realized his mistake and quickly tried to apologize, but it was too late. Jade was already yelling at him and hitting him with her pillow.

Downstairs, Ollie and Dinah sat at the breakfast table. The two of them were sipping coffee when they heard all of the commotion upstairs.

"Should we go and check on them?" Dinah asked.

Ollie released a breath and closed his eyes. He shook his head. "Nah."

Dinah shrugged and picked up her cup of coffee. She paused and looked over at Ollie. "Do you think I'll be like that when I'm pregnant?"

Ollie's eyes went wide and he spit out his coffee in shock. He took deep breathes of air to calm himself.

Dinah giggled at his reaction.

TT

Roy walked besides Jade in the school hallway. They had just arrived and were on their way to first period. Roy looked over at Jade who had a scowl on her face. She hadn't said a word to him since they left the house.

"How long are we going to be on silent treatment?" Roy asked, frustrated.

Jade continued to frown at him and walked ahead.

"Oh, come on! I said I was sorry," Roy said, walking faster so he could catch up to Jade. "I was trying to make you feel better. The words just came out wrong."

"Better watch out," a boy was leaning against his locker said. Roy and Jade paused at the smirking teen. "Pregnant gal here seems to be on a hormone rage."

The boy and his two friends snickered. Jade bit her lip and lowered her gaze.

"Hey," Roy began angrily, walking up to the teen. He shoved the boy roughly against his locker. "Don't be talking about my baby's momma like that."

"Roy, would you cut it out," Jade snapped, pulling him away from the boy. "You're embarrassing me."

"But I--"

"Oh forget it." Jade muttered, walking away.

"Thanks a lot," Roy snapped at the boy. "Now she's more mad at me than before." Roy turned around and ran after Jade. "Jade, wait up!"

The boy and his two friends snickered.

TT

Lunch time finally came. Kori, Dick, Raven, Gar, Vic, Alain, Toni, Jenn, Wally, Roy and Jade all sat at their usual table. They had their lunches in front of them and were eating peacefully.

"Hey," Alain looked around the table. "What's taking Karen so long?"

"I don't know," Jade replied. "She said she was going to the bathroom."

"You guys!"

Everyone looked up to see the owner of the voice calling out to them. The owner of the voice was Karen. She was running up to the table with a paper in her hand, a smile on her face.

"Speak of the devil." Raven muttered.

"What's up, Karen," Wally greeted as she sat next to Vic. "What took you so long? You didn't fall in did you?"

"Ha ha. You're so funny, Wally. What took me so long is this," Karen showed the small group the paper she was holding. "This is a flier for the upcoming talent show!"

"I didn't know the school was having a talent show." said Jenn, looking at the flier.

"I just found out myself," replied Karen. "The flier was in the girl's bathroom."

"And it's important... why?" Roy asked.

"Ever since the career fair I've been interested in singing," Karen explained. "The talent show is the perfect opportunity for me to see if I got what it takes to be a singer. I rushed to go sign up before coming here."

"I'm glad you've decided to pursue this," Vic told Karen, kissing her cheek. "I know you'll do great."

"I agree," Toni said happily, a smile on her face. "Karen has a beautiful voice after all."

"So what's your plan, Karen," Dick asked. "Any idea on the song you're going to sing?"

"I haven't the slightest clue," Karen admitted. She sighed. "I'm not even sure what I should do. Oh no! I'm gonna look like a total idiot on stage."

"Hey, if you need some help I can introduce you to one of Komi's friends," Kori said, taking out her sidekick phone and texting a message. "This guys a real sweetie, him and Komi go way back. He's really into music too, so he'll be able to help you. Just go by the music room after school is over, okay."

"Wow, thanks so much, Kori," Karen said gratefully. "I owe you one."

"Hey, maybe I should join the talent show too," suggested Gar. "I can do that trick with the cookie."

The others looked disgusted and all at once they replied to Gar's suggestion. "No!"

Gar scoffed and poked out his tongue. "You people are just jealous of my talents."

Raven crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Hardly."

TT

Elliot licked his hips in anticipation, his fingers pressing buttons at an astonishing speed. Sweat dripped down from his forehead. He had a can of Red Bull and a tuna sandwich made by his mother in front of him. Instead of enjoying his lunch like the other students, he was playing a game of World of Warcraft on his laptop. Elliot was in a serious battle when someone interrupted him.

Someone had pulled his laptop away from him, taking him away from his game.

Elliot glared at the girl holding his laptop captive. "What's the big deal you Harpie? I was in a serious match."

"You did not just call me a harpie," Mandy said, glaring at Elliot. "What's a harpie?"

"Now, now, be nice, Mandy," Kitten said as she took a seat besides Elliot. "We're all friends here."

"But you've never even talked to me before. Except for when you insult me." Elliot claimed.

"Well that's all about to change." Cindy announced happily, taking the seat besides Elliot.

"I find the statement of the Vixen to be most confusing."

"Relax, Elliot, we're just trying to be nice." Kitten said sweetly.

"The Blonde One being nice to me is very unusual. I detect a wolf in sheep's clothing," Elliot said. "Tell me Blonde One, what is that you really want? I know it is certainly not my friendship."

"Wow, you're not as dumb as you look," Kitten noted. "Well, you figured us out. Truth is I came to your for a favor."

"And what might this favor be?"

"Word is you're a real computer freak," Mandy began. "Is it true?"

"I prefer to be called Control Freak."

"Is it true or not?" asked Cindy.

"I do have great skills when it comes to the computer."

"Good, because I want you to find somebody for me." Kitten said.

"Why should I do anything for you?"

"Because I can make your life a living hell." Kitten answered.

Elliot laughed at her threat. "You already have, you and half the students at our school. Try again."

"Damn," Kitten muttered. She sighed. "Fine, what do you want?"

"Popularity."

"How do you expect us to make you popular?" Mandy asked.

"I don't know. You three are popular, maybe is I hang with you I'll be popular too."

Kitten narrowed her eyes. "Deal."

"Kitten, no," begged Cindy. "It's not worth it!"

"It is to me," Kitten snapped, glaring at Cindy. "Besides, it'll only be for a few weeks." Kitten looked over at Elliot. "Once you find who I'm looking for you can't hang out with us anymore, agreed?"

"Agreed," Elliot said. "So, who is it that you want me to find anyway?"

Kitten snapped her fingers. Cindy took this as cue. Cindy went inside her bag and pulled out a folder. She handed it to Elliot.

"Everything you need to know is in that folder." Kitten explained.

"Gotcha," Elliot nodded. "Can I have my laptop back now?"

Kitten nodded and Mandy gave Elliot back his laptop.

"Can we go now?" Mandy asked dryly.

"You two go ahead," Kitten responded. "I need to have some finishing words with Elliot."

"Like, don't take too long okay," said Cindy. "People are beginning to stare."

Cindy and Mandy left, leaving Kitten alone with Elliot.

"Why did you send the Vixen and Harpie away?"

"Because, I wanted to tell you something. This little project I've assigned you to has to be done in complete secrecy. No one can find out about this," Kitten explained. "If any one does, I'll destroy you. And I don't mean I'll send bullies after you or embarrass you in the school halls. I would really destroy you. I'm not going to let you ruin my plans before they even begin. Do I make myself clear?"

Elliot was numb. The look in Kitten's eyes and the tone of her voice was serious and almost evil. Elliot was too scared to even speak, all he could do was nod his head at her.

"That's a good boy." Kitten said sweetly, before walking away.

Once she was gone, Elliot released the breath of air he was holding. He sighed. "What did I just get myself into..."

TT

The school day had come to a close. The students of Jump City High School had filled the hallways as they prepared themselves to go home. Some of the students were preparing themselves for after school activities. Vic and Karen were two of those students.

"Really, tutoring?" Karen questioned.

Vic nodded. "Yeah, Mr. Mod suggested it."

"But why? You're an excellent student."

"Well, as it turns out, history class is one of my weak points. Mr. Mod said that my score has been going from bad to worse"

"This is the kind of thing Gar usually gets in trouble for," Karen mentioned. "I'm surprised it's you this time."

"Yeah, well, to be honest I haven't really been doing Mr. Mod's homework. I've been focusing so much on football and my car that I just sort of forgot."

"This really sucks. I wanted you to come with me to meet this guy Kori was telling us about."

"I really wish I could, but Mr. Mod insisted that I come meet this tutor he's got for me today."

"When you say insisted you actually mean that Mr. Mod used a threat, right?"

"You know it," Vic answered. "Said he'll pull out all the strings to get me off the football team if he had to."

"Yikes, he sure knows how to play hardball."

"Tell me about it."

The two came to a pause in front of the stairs.

"Well, I'm this way." Karen said, pointing up the stairs.

"And I'm this way," said Vic, looking down the hall. "Unfortunately."

"Well, I'll see you later," Karen said before kissing Vic on the lips. "Good luck with the tutoring thing."

"Thanks, I'm gonna need it." Vic said before walking down the hall. He heard Karen giggle at his statement.

Vic continued to walk down the hall before he came upon Mr. Mod's classroom door. He took a deep breath and opened the door. When he walked inside he was shocked to only see Mr. Mod there.

"Please don't tell me that you're my tutor." Vic said miserably. He had to suffer with Mr. Mod during the morning, Vic didn't want to have to suffer during the afternoon too.

"Relax duckie, I'm not your tutor. Your tutor is running a little late is all." Mr. Mod replied.

Vic breathed a sigh of relief.

The door opened and Mr. Mod smiled. "Ah, Sara, so glad you could join us. This is the little delinquent you'll be tutoring."

Vic turned around to face his tutor and he was completely shocked.

It was a tall, slim, girl with blue eyes and chocolate colored skin. She had long black hair that ended past her shoulders.

"Victor Stone, meet Sara Cimms. Sara is one of my previous students and is currently a senior. She'll be your tutor until your grades pick up."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Victor." Sara greeted, extending her hand.

"Huh, oh, yeah. It's nice to meet you too," Vic said, shaking her hand. "But call me Vic. That's what everyone calls me."

"Okay then, Vic," Sara said. "Are you ready to hit the books?"

Vic grinned and nodded his head.

TT

Karen made her way up the stairs and to the music room. She was walking down the hall when a lovely tune filled her ears. Karen let the music consume her thoughts and she followed the trace of the sound. It lead her to the door of the music room.

Karen didn't wait another minute, she opened the door to the music room and stepped inside.

A tall, slim, boy was facing the window, his back turned to her. He was dressed in a blue hoodie and black jeans. He had black curly hair.

Karen cleared her throat and the boy stopped playing his music. He turned around, and the first thing Karen noticed was the saxophone in his hands. The next thing she noticed was his face. Karen couldn't help but blush at his charming features. The boy had chocolate colored skin and brown eyes.

The boy put the saxophone away and smiled at her. "You must be Karen Beecher. Am I right?"

"Yeah, I am." Karen said, walking up to him.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Karen," he said, shaking her hand. "I'm Malcolm Duncan, but you can call me Mal. Kori told me that you're entering the talent show. So, what's your talent?"

"I like to sing."

"A singer huh, impressive. How about we get started. I'm eager to hear some of your vocal cords," Mal said, taking a seat behind the piano. "There's room here for you to sit too."

Karen took a seat next to Mal and he smiled at her. She couldn't help but smile back at him.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO Koriand'r Grayson, RoseXxxXThorn, jcyz, Ace.04, cookiegurl15, chittychittybangbang16, cookiesruletheworld, sweetnsxy, raeXXstarry, writing4eva, Among The Betrayed, Agent of the Divine One, BerryDrops, Lizzy, SwishingWindstar, Scriblez, toonfan820, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, robxxstarxx3, tennisgal456 AND roxy FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. YOU GUYS ARE GREAT.**

**ATTENTION EVERYONE: MY SCHOOL EXAMS ARE ON JUNE 20th, SO I'LL BE BUSY DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE AND IF I DON'T UPDATE YOU KNOW WHY. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY SORRY IN ADVANCE.**

**Sara Cimms - Saracism**

**Malcolm 'Mal' Duncan - Herald**

**I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: SLUMBER PARTY.**

**REVIEW**

**REVIEW**


	15. Sleep over

"Okay, three... two... one," Jenn clapped her hands, giving off the signal. Six cheerleaders quickly got into formation for a pyramid. The girls quickly, and elegantly, made their pyramid. "Okay, hold it... hold it... hold it..."

Unbeknownst to the cheerleaders on top of the pyramid, a bee had flown on to the field. The bee was dangerously close to Cindy's face. Not only was Cindy on the bottom of the pyramid, but she was also terrified of bees. The bee was centimeters away from her face now.

Cindy bailed.

The absence of one of the bottom cheerleaders broke the whole foundation of the pyramid. The whole routine came tumbling down with a crash.

Groans, curse words, and complainants were heard afterwards.

"Oooow...," Kori rubbed her head. Having been one of the cheerleaders on the second row, her fall was especially painful. "I think my fall just knocked out everything I learned from second grade."

Jenn stuck out her hand and Kori took it gratefully. Jenn pulled Kori up to her feet and looked at her fellow cheerleaders. "Practice is over for today. Have a nice weekend."

The crowd of cheerleaders began to disperse. No one dared to object to the order of their team captain about ending practice early, especially since it was Friday.

As the crowd began to clear out, Kori and Jenn heard clapping. They turned their heads to the side and saw none other than Toni. The punk girl was laughing and clapping her hands.

"Wow, that was some slip you guys took," Toni mocked, stepping up to her two friends. "You girls sure know how to entertain people."

"You saw that?" Kori asked, feeling greatly embarrassed. It wasn't every day that she got caught falling on her butt.

Toni nodded. "The whole thing. I've been sitting up at the bleachers the whole time."

"And why exactly are you here," Jenn asked, raising a brow. "I'm team captain and I don't even want to be here."

"Well, Alain had to do a favor for his mom. I had nothing better to do so I came here."

"I wish I had nothing to do," Jenn admitted. "School is a complete bummer, and cheerleading practice is even worse. I could really use a day off."

Kori nodded in agreement.

"A day off...," Toni paused, considering a plan she was thinking about. She snapped her fingers, a wide smile on her face. "We should have a sleep over! Just us girls. It'll give us a chance to unwind."

"And where exactly do we have this sleep over?" Jenn asked, crossing her arms.

Toni looked at Kori.

"Oh no, we can't have it at my house. It would be no fun at all. Ryan has been unusually cranky lately, and I don't think hearing a baby cry would help us relax."

"Fine, we can have it at my house," Toni grinned. "So are you in or not?"

"Count me in." Jenn answered, a small smile on her lips.

"Me too."

"Great. Now all we need is to get Jade, Karen and Raven to join in and everything will be perfect."

"Toni, would you mind if we invited one more person to the sleep over?" Kori asked.

"Who do you have in mind, Kori," Jenn asked, a smirk on her face. "You're not planning on bringing a male stripper are you?"

"What? No! I just wanted to invite Babs," Kori replied. "She's been having a tough time at school. I was hoping this would give her an opportunity to make some new friends."

"I don't mind," Toni said. "The more the better."

"Great. I'll go ask her now."

"And we'll go call the others." Toni said, taking out her cell phone. Jenn took out her cell phone as well.

Kori quickly made her way over to Babs, who was over at the bleachers slipping on her shoes.

"Hey, Babs. Got a minute?"

"Kori," Babs stood up. "Sure. What is it?"

"A couple of my friends and I are having a sleep over. We wanted to know if you wanted to join us."

"A sleep over? I haven't done anything like that since I was a kid."

"I promise it will be loads of fun," Kori gave Babs 'the look'. "Please."

"I guess I can come," Babs said with a shrug. "Are you sure your friends won't mind?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure," Kori responded with a smile. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay," Babs waved at Kori before taking off. "See you later, Kori."

"Bye," Kori turned her heel and walked over to where Toni and Jenn were standing. "She said yes!"

"Awesome," Jenn gave a thumbs up. "So did Jade, Karen and Raven."

"Which means our sleep over is good to go!" Toni said proudly.

TT

The day for the sleep over had finally arrived and Jade was already done packing. She had her things by the door and was waiting for the girls to arrive.

"Are you sure you have to go to this sleep over thing?" Roy asked, which was like the millionth time in Jade's opinion.

Jade groaned and slapped her forehead. "For the last time, Roy, I am going to the sleep over."

"But... but..."

"No buts," Jade snapped. "I'm having a girls night over at Toni's house, and while I'm there you'll be having a boys night at Dick's house."

"But I don't even want to go. The only reason why we're having this guy night is because you girls decided to have a stupid sleep over."

"It's not stupid. We need some time to ourselves. One day you'll be begging for me to leave the house for a girls only night."

"Okay, that may be true someday, but I don't want you to go today. What if something happens with the baby and I'm not there?"

"Nothing will happen," Jade insisted, glaring at Roy. Roy sighed and hung his head. Jade's expressions softened. Sometimes, it was extremely hard to be stern with Roy. "But... if anything does happen, I have my cell phone on me. And you can call me whenever, okay?"

"Okay."

The sound of a car horn could be heard. Jade grabbed her bag.

"That's my ride," Jade quickly gave Roy a peck on the lips. "See you tomorrow. Now go upstairs and get dressed, you have to be at Dick's house soon."

With that said, Jade was out the door. She made her way over to the jeep that Karen was driving. Jenn met her outside, grabbed her bag, and put it in the trunk.

"You ready for tonight?" Jenn asked.

"Totally," Jade answered. "But I don't think Roy is."

"Roy?"

"I'll explain later."

Jenn and Jade got into the jeep, taking the two seats that were in the middle. Karen was at the wheel, and Kori had the front passenger seat. Both Raven and Babs had seats in the back.

"Is everyone buckled up," Karen asked. The girls nodded. "Okay, let's hit the r--"

Someone's cell phone began to ring.

Jade reached inside her pocket. "It's Roy," Jade flipped her phone open and brought it to her ear. "What is it, Roy?... Oh, okay. Karen, he wants to talk to you."

The others looked at Karen who merely shrugged. She took the phone from Jade's hand and brought it to her ear.

"What's up, Roy?... Excuse me?... Roy, this is my dad's car, of course it's safe... Listen here carrot top, you ain't one to talk. I see that little sports car you drive... Alright, I promise to drive carefully. Happy?... Goodbye, Roy."

Karen handed the phone back to Jade who took it.

"I love you too, Roy. Bye." Jade quickly shut her phone.

The car became silent.

"Your boyfriend is weird." Raven pointed out.

Jade sighed. "I know."

TT

Karen pulled the jeep up in front of Toni's estate and gasped at the sight. "Wow... and I thought where Dick lived was big. This place is frickin' enormous!"

The other girls gasped as well, drinking in the sight of the home where Toni lived at. Her home looked like a palace. It was painted white, had a fountain with an angel sculpture, rose bushes and three cars were parked in front. Toni's exemplary home came as a shock to Jenn, Raven, Karen, Jade and Kori. They were Toni's friends since sophomore year, yet not one of them knew about how ravishing Toni's home was. Then again, how could they. They were always outside, or at Dick's house, that or Kori's house.

Raven was the one to ring the doorbell. It didn't take long for Toni to open the door.

"Hey guys, come on in."

The girls did as they were told and stepped inside. The inside was even more amazing than the outside. Marble tiles covered the floor, exquisite paintings lined the walls, floral arrangements could be spotted, and the cherry on top was most definitely the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"Damn girl, you've been holding out on us," Karen said in awe. "I had no idea you had it this big."

"Right...," Toni smiled sheepishly. "Surprise."

"Are you some sort of princess or something?" Babs asked.

"No. My stepdad is just filthy stinkin' rich," Toni walked over to the spiraling staircase. "C'mon. If you like this part of the house just wait until you see the rest."

TT

Wally popped his bubble gum and sat up from the spot he was laying at on the floor. "So... is this it?"

Dick, Wally, Vic, Gar, Alain and Roy were in Dick's living room. They were all extremely bored. Currently, they had been doing nothing but sitting around.

"I think so." Dick answered, yawning.

"Shouldn't we, I don't know, do something?" Alain suggested.

"Like what?" Gar questioned.

No one had an answer. Silence fell into the room once again.

"I wonder what Jade is doing. Maybe I should call her," Roy took out his cell phone and left the room. "I'll be right back."

"Okay...," Vic crossed his arms. "This officially sucks ass."

The others nodded in agreement.

TT

"Okay, it's official," Jenn announced. "Your house is officially the coolest house ever!"

"You really think so?" Toni asked.

"Yeah. I mean, how many houses have an inside gym?" Babs asked.

"Or an inside pool," cut in Karen. "Which, by the way, I totally want to use."

"The game room is pretty awesome." Kori commented.

"I thought the library was good." Raven admitted.

"The kitchen was my favorite spot." Jade said.

The other girls stopped and looked at her.

"What? Hello! I am pregnant, cut me some slack."

"Well, I'm glad you all like the house. But now it's time to see my room."

Toni stopped in front of a door and opened it. The girls stepped inside.

Toni's room wasn't the run-of-the-mill style someone would normally have. It had the basic needs, like a desk, bookshelf, bed and tv, but it was so much more. It was luxurious. One side of the room was painted black with red strips. On that side of the room was Toni's bed and walk in closet. The other side of the room had a cloud design on blue wallpaper. On that side was Toni's tv, mini refrigerator, and electronics. The other side of the room had a fairytale wallpaper which included trees, knights on horses, a dragon, a princess and a palace. On that side of the room was a desk, a laptop, and a bookshelf. The last wall was white with no special design. The only thing special about that wall was the window and Toni's karaoke machine.

"Wow." Raven was a mixture of shocked and impressed.

"Toni, your room is incredible." Kori said, taking a seat on one of the bean bag chairs in the middle of the room.

"How come you have different designs on each wall?" Babs asked, looking at the lava lamp on the bookshelf.

"When my mom and I moved in here, Carl--"

"Who's Carl?" Jade asked. She was looking through the mini refrigerator.

"Carl is my stepdad," Toni answered. "So, anyways, Carl hired a team of designers to fix up the room for me. I couldn't decide which wallpaper I liked best. So, I decided, why not all of them. I think it's neat."

"How come that wall is blank?" Karen asked, pointing at the white wall.

"I'm saving it for something special. It's going to be a project of mine."

"What do you plan to do with it?" Jenn asked, captivated with the complexity of Toni's room.

"That's a secret. But you'll find out. Now... who's ready to have some fun?"

TT

"So, how is Jade doing?" Dick asked, taking a bite of pepperoni pizza. After the long period of boredom had ended, the boys had ordered pizza and moved their guys night into the kitchen.

"She said she's fine. The girls and her had just finished some tour of Toni's house." Roy answered, sitting besides Dick at the kitchen table.

"What do you mean by a tour," Wally questioned. "There's an upstairs and a downstairs. Big deal."

Alain chuckled.

"Hey, what's so funny, Alain?" Vic asked.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." Alain chuckled again.

"Alright, you're hiding something pretty boy," Gar claimed, pointing an accusing finger at Alain. "Now spill."

"It's not really in my place to tell you... I mean, Toni should be the one to tell you guys."

"I'm sure Toni wouldn't mind if you told us, whatever it is you aren't telling us," Dick said. "Toni is cool like that."

"Okay. Toni is... very wealthy."

"Wealthy like Kori and I?" Dick asked.

"Um... no... More wealthy than that," Alain rubbed the back of his neck. "You see, Toni's stepfather is kind of like Bruce and Myan... put together."

The boys mouths went agape and Vic dropped his pizza.

"Holy crap." Gar muttered.

TT

"Alright girls," Toni began. "We've done everything that girls do at sleep overs. Except for one thing."

"What's that?" Babs asked.

"Girl talk."

"Oh, this should be good," Karen said, a grin on her face. She looked around the room. Her and the rest of the girls were in a circle on the floor with snacks in the middle. "Were should we start?"

"I say we start with the newbie." Raven suggested, looking over at Babs. She had a smirk on her face.

"Me? But I--"

"Oh, relax, Babs," Raven said indifferently. "We don't bite... Well, maybe Jade does now that she's pregnant."

"Hey!"

The girls giggled.

"Okay, I have a question for you Babs," Toni announced. "Do you have any feelings for someone?"

"Uh, well... there is this one guy--"

"Is he cute?" Karen interrupted.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Could you let her finish."

"Sorry."

"In answer to your question, yes. He is cute. _Immensely_ cute."

"So have you asked him out yet?" Jenn questioned.

"No, I--"

"Why not?"

"Seriously, Karen. Let her finish."

"Sorry."

"I... It's complicated." Babs confessed sadly.

"I have a question for you, Babs." Kori said.

"What is it, Kori?"

"Do you really like this guy?"

"Of course I do. He's all I can think about half the time."

"Well then, you should fight for him. If he really means that much to you, and if you really like him, then you should give it your all to be with him. That's what I did with Dick."

"Thanks, Kori," Babs said, a glint in her eyes. "I think I'll take your advice."

"Alright, next victim," Toni announced. "Babs, as our previous victim, you get to chose the next victim."

"Do you have to keep saying victim?" Raven asked.

Toni nodded her head. "Yes, yes I do. So who do you pick, Babs?"

"I gotta say, I'm curious to hear about Roy. So I chose you, Jade." Babs smirked to herself. She really wanted to hear about Dick and Kori, but she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Picking someone else would be a good cover up.

"Okay. So, what do you want to know?"

"How does you being pregnant and living with Roy work?"

"To be honest, it's gotten extremely annoying."

"Why," Jenn asked, worry in her eyes. "Are you and Roy not getting along?"

Jade sighed. "We get along just fine. But all this me being pregnant stuff has gone to his head. Last week, he referred to me as his baby's momma."

The girls laughed.

"Baby's momma," Raven chuckled. "Oh, that is bad."

"Some guy said something stupid and he called me his baby's momma. If something like that happened before, back when I wasn't pregnant, he would have referred to me as his girlfriend."

"It's probably just a faze." Toni suggested.

"Well I hope his faze ends soon, because I am about to snap," Jade groaned at the sound of her cell phone. She knew it was Roy, he had been calling nonstop since she left the house. "For crying out loud!"

"Okay, I think it's really sweet that he cares so much," Karen began. "But this is ridiculous. I say you turn that phone off."

"You know what, Karen... You're right," Jade turned her phone off and put it away. "That felt good."

"I'm sure it did," Raven responded with a smirk. "It's your turn to pick someone, Jade."

"Alright, I pick," Jade smirked evilly. "Jenn."

Jenn rose a brow at Jade. "You're devious, you know that?"

"I know," Jade smiled proudly. "Okay, I have a question for you that I've been dying to ask... Where did you and Wally disappear to during the Halloween dance?"

"The backseat of my car." Jenn answered bluntly, like it was nothing.

Babs dropped the popcorn in her hand. "Wow."

"Jenn, what exactly did you and Wally do?" Kori asked. She couldn't resist but to ask.

"We took our relationship to the next level."

"Next level? As in...," Karen whispered her next word. "Sex?"

"No! I'm not gonna have my first time at the back seat of a car! What, do you think I'm crazy?"

"A little bit, yeah." Toni answered.

"Oh, you guys are mean."

"So you and Wally are really moving forward, huh?" Raven asked, curious. Who would have thought that the sleep over would be this interesting.

Jenn smiled and nodded.

"And you're comfortable with this sort of stuff?" Kori inquired.

"Okay, I have to admit, at first... I was sort of scared about the way my relationship with Wally was growing. That red headed dork just really grew on me, and soon, kissing just wasn't enough."

"So are you ready to go the whole way with him?" Karen asked, munching on some chips.

"Not yet, but who knows. It could be soon," Jenn grinned wickedly. "Now I do believe that it is my turn. Batter up, Karen."

"Somehow, I just knew you were going to pick me," Karen sighed. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything and everything," Jenn answered. "Don't skip on the dirty details."

"Ha! I don't even have any dirty details."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Jenn snapped her fingers. "Damn."

"Haven't you and Vic been dating since, like, what, eighth grade?" Toni asked.

Karen nodded.

"And you guys haven't done anything? At all?"

"Only extreme make-outs."

"Boring!"

"I think it's sweet," Babs confessed. "So he really doesn't pressure you into anything?"

"Of course not. Vic may be a brute at times, but when he's with me, he's a total sweetie."

"You do realize the boy you called sweet used to put worms in our lunch back in grade school, don't you?" Raven pointed out.

"That was when he was... young."

"The word you're looking for is stupid." Jade muttered.

"Hey, that reminds me," Kori began. "How is the tutoring thing with Vic going? And how is practice with Mal?"

"Vic says tutoring is fine, and I'm learning a lot from Mal," Karen said. "But with his football practice and tutoring, and my practice for the talent show, we haven't had much time for each other. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon."

"I'm sure they will." Toni assured.

Karen nodded, then smirked. "Okay, enough about me. It's time to pass down the torch, and I pick... you, Kori."

Babs grinned to herself. This was the moment she had been waiting for. Hearing about Kori's relationship with Dick was sure to give her an advantage of some sort. It was time to scrutinize. Babs moved closer into the circle, she didn't want to miss any details.

"Okay, Kori," began Toni. "I'm going to put you on the spot. Have you and Dick gone all the way yet?"

Babs clenched her fists, her eyes focused on Kori.

"No, we haven't."

Babs mentally breathed a sigh a relief.

"But..."

Babs narrowed her eyes.

"Dick has been very frisky lately."

"What do you mean by frisky?" Babs tried to keep the worry out of her voice. She hoped Dick hadn't done anything too extreme with Kori.

"You know...," Kori's cheeks turned red. "_Frisky."_

"Is he forcing himself on you," Karen asked, eyes narrowed. She made a fist. "Or is he pressuring you to do something you don't want to do? Either way I'll kick his ass."

"No, Karen," Kori sighed and rubbed her temples. "Dick hasn't done anything like that. It's just, as of lately, he's been very forward with me. Okay, just last week we were at his house. It was just the two of us and, you know, we were kissing. At first it was really sweet, then all of a sudden he got aggressive. His kissing was fierce and... we moved up a base."

"Up as base like Wally and Jenn?" Jade asked, pausing a moment to stop stuffing her face with chocolate.

"No, nothing like that. But he did grope me."

"Over or under the clothes?" Jenn questioned, passing the popcorn over to Jade, who, by now, had eaten most of the snacks.

"Over."

"Upper area or lower area? Or both?"

"Just the lower area."

"Ass or--"

"Jenn! Please," Kori was blushing furiously. "Is all of this really necessary?"

"Curious minds want to know."

Kori sighed. "... butt."

"Was that so hard?" Jenn inquired, a small smirk on her face.

"Has Dick ever acted like this before?" Babs asked. The more information she knew, the better.

"No, he hasn't. I wonder why he has all of sudden."

"Kori," Raven began, her voice completely serious. "I think Dick is dropping hints that he wants to move forward in the relationship."

"By forward, you mean..."

Raven nodded her head.

"Oh." Kori's blush was beginning to become redder than her hair.

Babs coughed. She had gotten as much information as she could handle for one night. It was time to change the subject. "Kori, it's your turn to pick."

"Oh, right," Kori snapped out of her trance. She would have to think about her relationship with Dick later. "Uh... Toni, your turn."

"Bring it on girls," Toni said with confidence. "Ask away."

"Okay, I have one for you," Karen began. "Toni, when you and Alain are alone, how does he behave?"

"The same way he does when he's around all of you. But he does blush a lot when it's just the two of us."

"Why is that?"

"When Alain and I are alone, I like to mess with him."

"What do you mean by mess with him?" Raven rose a brow at this.

"I tease him. Like this one time, we were hanging in my room--"

"How come he got to see your house first?" whined Jenn.

"Because..."

"Because why?"

"Just because. Now let me finish," the girls sealed their lips and Toni continued. "Okay, so we were in my room and I gave him this box. When he opened it, he pulled out a box of condoms and a thong. His face got so red, it was hilarious!"

"No way," Jade laughed. "Why did you do that?"

"I thought it would be funny. But you know what was really funny? This one time, I was playing Twister with Alain because we were really bored, and I fell on top of him."

"That doesn't seem so hilarious." Kori commented.

"You didn't let me finish. So, I'm top of him and then we start kissing, and then... my stepdad walks in."

"What did you guys do?" Babs asked. Had she wound up in a position like that, her father would lock her up and throw away the key.

"Nothing. Carl demanded that we all have a talk," Toni grabbed the bowl of popcorn. "I was gonna milk the situation, but Alain was petrified so I played it cool."

"How did you do that?" Jenn had to know the answer to this. Had she gotten into a situation like that, she didn't know what she would do.

"I told Carl that we were playing Twister and that it was nothing. Of course he thought it was more, so then I had to tell him that I was a teenage girl, and if I wanted to have sex then I'm gonna have sex."

"You didn't." Karen uttered.

Toni smirked. "I did."

"How does Alain deal with you?" Raven asked, suppressing a laugh.

"I have no idea, but I'm glad he does," Toni confessed softly. "Alain isn't like any other guy I've dated. I feel... safe with him."

The girls became silent. Toni was being serious. This wasn't something that happened often.

"Alain is so shy, it's adorable. It's what I like most about him. He respects me, and he doesn't rush into anything. I realize that he wants me, for _me_."

Raven sensed the fondness in Toni's voice. "You two are really close, aren't you?"

"Yeah, we are. I'm falling for him."

"Aww!" was the response from all of the girls, but Raven.

The dreamy expression from Toni's face quickly left. "You guys better not tell anyone I said that, or else!"

The girls quickly assured Toni that they wouldn't tell a soul.

Toni smiled. "I'm glad we're all on the same page. Now, I do believe it is your turn, Raven."

Raven rolled her eyes. "I'm bursting with excitement."

"Aw, don't be that way." Karen said.

"Yeah," agreed Toni. "Dish out the dirt."

"There is no dirt."

"Oh, come on," replied Jenn. "Are you saying that you don't have anything to tell us, at all?"

Raven nodded.

"Not even a crush?" asked Jade.

"My life is currently lacking in the romance department."

Kori bit her lip. She knew Raven was lying. She knew that Raven was having an affair with Leon Malchior, their English teacher. Kori sighed, knowing that she couldn't say anything. Kori had hoped that Raven would come to her on her own time, but she hadn't. It had been more than a week since the Halloween dance, but Raven hadn't approached her. Kori decided it was time to take matters into her own hands. But not now, later, when it was just her and Raven. She would confront Raven about her romance later.

"You guys," Babs hushed the girls. "I think I heard something from outside."

The girls turned silent and looked at the window.

TT

Roy paced back and forth, his face lined with worry. He had his cell phone to his ear and was muttering incoherent words. The boys looked at him in concern. Roy paused and looked at his friends frantically. "You guys, she still isn't picking up."

"Can you blame her," said Vic. "I mean, you have been calling her nonstop."

"Yeah, she probably just got annoyed and turned her phone off." Gar suggested.

"I'm worried. What if something happened?"

"Calm down, Roy. Toni's house has good security," Alain stated. "I'm sure Jade is just fine."

"We have to go over there. I need to see for myself if she's okay."

"Are you insane! If we crash that sleep over, the girls will kick our ass," Wally shouted. "And Jenn packs a punch."

"So does Kori." muttered Dick quietly.

"You guys are supposed to be my best friends," Roy said. "And Jade is pregnant with my child. I need to know that she's safe. Now move your assess, we are going to that sleep over!"

Roy was livid no one objected to his order. As they walked out the door Gar leaned over to Vic.

"And I thought pregnant women were emotional," Gar whispered. "Roy is just plain weird."

Vic nodded in agreement.

TT

The boys had arrived at Toni's house. When they did, all of them, but Alain and Roy, were amazed at the sight. Alain, having been to Toni's house before, didn't feel shocked. Roy was far too concerned about Jade's well being to care about Toni's home. Together, the boys walked up to the front door. Two guards dressed in black suits stood by the front door.

Gar gulped at the size of them. "Okay, either they work out a lot, or they take a lot of steroids."

Before the boys could even get close to the door, the guards advanced upon them.

"State your names and purpose for being here." demanded one of the guards.

Alain stepped forward. "I'm Alain. You've seen me before. These are my friends Roy, Wally, Dick, Gar and Vic. We came here to see Toni."

"I remember you," said the other guard who was African American. "Your that kid who dates the boss' daughter."

"That's me."

"Under normal circumstances we would let you through, but Toni is having a slumber party. No boys permitted."

"By order of our boss."

"But we have to get in there." Alain claimed.

"Yeah," Wally said. "If we don't, Roy might bust a nut."

The first guard glared at Wally. "No boys allowed."

Wally gulped. He looked at his friends. "You heard him, no boys allowed! Let's go."

The boys began to walk away, but Roy stopped them once they were far away from the guards.

"We should sneak in."

Vic looked at Roy as if he was crazy. "Say what?"

"If we go around the house maybe we can find a window or something."

"Roy, it's over," Dick insisted. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see Jade."

Roy grabbed Dick by the collar of his jacket. "I can't wait that long!"

"Okay, easy on the jacket," Dick snapped, pushing Roy away. "It's leather."

"Alain, you've been here before," Roy pointed out. "Lead the way."

Alain sighed and reluctantly nodded his head. Taking the lead, he led the boys around the house using a path Toni told him about. Toni had used this path before for two reasons. One, there was no guards. Two, she used it to sneak out of the house when she felt like it. The boys stopped and hid in the bushes.

Alain pointed at a window. "That's Toni's room. The girls should be in there."

"That's pretty high up," Vic muttered. "What do we do?"

"Maybe we can find a ladder or something." suggested Gar.

"No," Dick said. "We could get caught."

"We can climb this tree," Wally said, pointing at a tree that was close to Toni's window. "We climb up, take a peak, and leave. Roy gets to see Jade and we don't get caught by the girls. Everyone wins."

"That sounds like a plan," Dick looked at Roy. "What do you think?"

"Sounds good," Roy answered. "Let's do it."

TT

The girls huddled together, completely silent.

"I heard something too." Raven said quietly.

"What should we do?" Jenn asked, worried.

"You don't think it's a burglar or something," Karen gulped. "Do you?"

"I don't know, but I'm not taking any chances," Toni replied. "I'm getting the guards."

TT

The boys had successfully climbed up the tree and were moving branches to see clearly.

"Do you see anything?" Wally asked. He had decided not to climb up the tree and spy on the girls. If by any chance they got caught, Vic, Roy, Dick, Alain and Gar would get caught. He, on the other hand, would be running to safety by that time.

"Yeah, yeah! I see Jade," Roy responded happily. He looked back at the window and frowned. "Look at all that junk food. Where are the fruits and vegetables? I'm going to have to talk to Jade later about this."

"Like hell you will," Dick snapped. "If you do that, the girls will know we were here."

"Can we go now," Vic asked. "I don't want to get caught by the girls."

"Fine, let's...," Roy paused. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Gar questioned.

"That sound. It sounds like something cracked."

Alain looked at the branch they were all on. "Oh shit."

Roy, Alain, Dick, Gar and Vic all screamed. The branch supporting them broke and they went tumbling down. Lucky for them, the lower branches broke their fall. Unfortunately for Wally, they all crashed on to him when they landed.

Vic rubbed his head. "Ow..."

A flash of light fell upon the boys. They looked up to see the two guards from earlier.

Dick smiled sheepishly. "Hi."

The guards frowned at them.

TT

The girls had heard the crash from outside Toni's window and looked outside. They were enraged when they saw their boyfriends at the mercy of Toni's guards. Toni was furious that the sleep over was ruined, and had ordered her guards to bring the boys inside. When the boys walked inside and landed eyes on the girls, they begged to stay with the guards. Their request was denied.

Currently, Roy, Dick, Gar, Wally, Vic and Alain were in Toni's living room. They were sitting down on the couch, their heads low and guilty expressions on their faces. The girls were standing up, arms crossed and glaring at them.

"What you guys did was really wrong!"

"And not to mention incredibly stupid!"

"We are so disappointed in you!"

"You ruined our sleep over!"

"We should be kicking your assess right now!"

"You'll be lucky if you make it out of here alive!"

"What do you have to say for yourselves?!"

The boys looked at each other, then at the girls.

"We are so sorry!"

"We didn't mean it!"

"Please forgive us!"

"Please don't hurt us!"

"It was all Roy's fault! He made us do it!"

"Traitor!"

"Roy," Jade hissed, her eyes narrowed and her fists were clenched. "Is that true?"

"Um...," Roy squirmed in his seat. The glare on Jade's face was burning a hole through him. "Is there any possible answer I can say that will result in me not getting yelled at?"

"I can't believe you! All I asked for was one day! You couldn't give me one day to myself! You're unbelievable!"

"Well excuse me for caring! And, you know what, none of this is my fault! Yeah, it's your fault! You're the one who turned your phone off!"

"Only because you were calling every two seconds! Gosh, Roy, you are suffocating me! I need some space!"

"We should have brought the popcorn with us." mumbled Toni to Karen.

"I know you do, but... but I can't help but worry about you and the baby," Roy lowered his gaze. "I'm a jerk, I know, and I'm sorry."

Jade placed a hand on his cheek. "Roy, I'm really glad you care, and I'm happy you want to be there... but I need some time to myself. That's all I'm asking for. I need you to respect that. Can you do it?"

"Do I have a choice?" Roy smirked.

Jade chuckled. "No, you don't. Now come and give me a h--"

Jade's eyes went wide, her mouth agape. Both of her hands went to her stomach. Her eyes began to water. She sat on the chair closest to her.

"Jade? What's wrong," Roy asked frantically. He was by her side in a heartbeat. "Don't worry, I'll call the doctor a--"

"No,' Jade grabbed Roy's arm and squeezed it. She looked up at him, a warm smile on her face. "Roy... the baby is kicking."

"A-are you serious," Roy stuttered. Jade nodded. She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. Roy couldn't stop the smile from forming on his lips. "I can feel it."

"You guys, come see." Jade insisted.

Slowly, one by one, they all gathered around Jade.

"That's some kick," Vic stated. "Think it's a boy?"

"With a kick like that," Karen shook her head. "It's gotta be a girl. A kick like that comes in handy when fending off troublesome boys."

"Like yourselves, for instance." Babs said, looking over at the boys who whistled innocently.

"But if we would have never crashed the slumber party, Roy would have missed the baby kicking." Gar pointed out. He was trying to win the girls over, that way he could avoid a beating.

"Gar does have a point." Kori said.

"Does that mean we're off the hook?" Wally asked hopefully.

"Let me think about that," Jenn narrowed her eyes. "No!"

"Aw, c'mon!" Dick whined.

"Why doesn't Toni pick their punishment," suggested Raven, a wicked grin on her face. "After all, this is her house."

"That's a great idea," Toni said happily. "And I have just the perfect punishment."

The boys gulped.

TT

The girls smiled in content. As it turns out, the sleep over wasn't ruined after all. Now, the girls had some live entertainment.

"Uh, hula boys," called out Jenn. "We need refills!"

Wally, Gar and Alain stepped up. All three of them were dressed in a Hawaiian fashion. They had the grass skirts and coconut bras. Toni had forced the three of them to act as butlers. They were to fetch refreshments for the girls.

"I think I would have rather taken the beating." Wally muttered after serving Jenn some ice tea.

"I grow bored. Hula boys," called out Kori. "Dance for us."

Vic, Dick and Roy groaned.

"Do we have too?" Dick complained. The girls nodded their heads and he sighed.

Vic, Dick and Roy were dressed the same as Gar, Alain and Wally. The only difference was that they had to dance, not serve. They got in line and began to shake their hips.

"Woo, shake it baby!" Karen shouted. She began to laugh.

'Let's not forget blackmail material." Raven said, taking out a camera. She began to snap pictures.

"Oh, that is so going on my myspace!" Toni said. She laughed and began to throw popcorn at the dancing boys.

"Dude," Gar mumbled to Alain. "Your girlfriend is seriously weird."

Alain sighed. "I know."

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO jcyz, Agent of the Divine One, SwishingWindstar, Among The Betrayed, Ace.04, cookiesruletheworld, xxScriblezxx, BerryDrops, raeXXstarry, cookiegurl15, toonfan820, tennisgal456, Koriand'r Grayson, Hidden Iris, SuPeR HyPeR chick 101, mysteree101, RavenSis AND featherpen13 FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS AND PATIENCE. I'M SO SORRY THAT THE UPDATE TOOK SO LONG, BUT I HOPE THIS LONG CHAPTER CAN HELP TO MAKE UP FOR THAT.**

**OKAY, DRUM ROLL... I WOULD LIKE TO SEND EXTRA THANKS TO RavenSis FOR BEING THE 300th REVIEWER! THANK YOU RavenSis. AS A REWARD, YOU GET TO ASK ME ONE QUESTION ABOUT THIS STORY, OR THE TWO SEQUELS THAT WILL FOLLOW IT, OR EVEN When We Were Young IF YOU WANT. CHOSE YOUR QUESTION WISELY.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: KORI CONFRONTS RAVEN ABOUT LEON.**

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	16. Crazy for you

It was the start of a whole new week, and the start of a whole new school day. For a select few the day began in Mr. Mod's classroom. Although no one had proof, the students of Jump City High School were pretty sure that Mr. Mod loved to torture them. This couldn't be more true for Gar, who, at the moment, was squirming in his seat. Mr. Mod had called on him to answer a question, and Gar didn't have the slightest clue what the answer was.

"Oh, come on," Mr. Mod slapped his forehead. "I gave you an easy one! Just answer it already!"

"Don't rush me," Gar snapped. "I know the answer... I just need some time for it to come to me."

"Vic," Mr. Mod turned his eyes towards the school's top football player. "Why don't you help your friend out."

"The answer is the civil war." Vic said.

Mr. Mod clapped his hands. "Correct. I'm glad to see that one of my students is learning something besides cheat codes to video games."

"Hey," Gar shrieked. "I can learn too! It's just that this stuff is boring. It's not like we're going to use this information in the real world anyway."

Mr. Mod narrowed his eyes. "I believe that outburst deserves a test for tomorrow. You can thank the green haired midget after class."

The whole class narrowed their eyes at Gar. Some even made insane gestures, like running their finger across their neck. Gar gulped and sank into his chair, hoping that he could become invisible.

The bell rang.

The students began to pack up their things and leave the room.

"Mr. Stone," Mr. Mod called out, grabbing Vic's attention. "Can I have a word with you?"

Vic strolled up to Mr. Mod's desk, slightly worried. Mr. Mod was unpredictable, evil and down right crazy, he could be up to anything. "What is it teach?"

"I just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done. You've improved faster than most students," Mr. Mod said. "If you pass the test tomorrow, I may just consider taking you off of this tutor deal we got you on."

Vic pressed his lips together, unable to respond. He simply nodded his head and left the classroom. When he walked outside, his friends all but tackled him.

"What was that about?"

"What did Mr. Mod say to you?"

"Did you get in trouble or something?"

"Do these jeans make me look fat?"

Vic looked at Wally with a baffled expression on his face. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry dude," Wally shrugged. "I wanted to ask a question too."

"You look fine in your jeans, Wally." Jenn answered him. She gave him a slap on the butt when nobody was looking. She smiled innocently at Wally.

"Mr. Mod didn't say anything important. He just said that I'm improving."

"That's great, Vic." Karen kissed his cheek.

"Hey, Logan!"

Gar turned his head to the side and saw a small group of boys from his class. He gulped, not one of those boys looked Gar-friendly.

"Because of you we got a test! You better watch your back!"

Gar hung his head. "I'm so dead."

"I'm sure they didn't mean it." Kori assured him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Gar smiled weakly at her.

"Come on, Gar," Dick put an arm around his friend. "Don't even worry about it."

Eventually, Dick and the others all left to class. All that remained was Kori, Jenn, Jade and Raven. It was the start of second period, and they all had second period free.

"Jenn and I are going to the computer room to do some research," Jade told Kori. "We need some project information. Do you want to come?"

"No, I have something I need to do."

"Okay then, see you later."

Jade and Jenn walked away. Kori couldn't help but feel relieved at their absence. It would make it easier for her to talk to Raven. Speaking of Raven...

Kori turned her head to the side. Where was Raven? She was there by her side a minute ago.

Kori decided to go looking for her missing friend. She turned the corner and jumped back. On the other side was Raven and Mr. Malchior. The two were talking and Raven had a wide smile on her face.

Kori took a deep breath. She wouldn't stand back and do nothing. Kori emerged from around the corner. "Raven, there you are! I was wondering where you disappeared to."

Raven appeared as if she just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Kori," Raven cleared her throat, her eyes looking everywhere except at Kori. "I... I was just telling Mr. Malchior about this book I read."

Kori nodded her head. "Hm."

Mr. Malchior broke the awkwardness that had settled upon Kori's arrival. "I need to get to class. You two stay out of trouble."

Mr. Malchior walked away, leaving only Raven and Kori. As soon as he was gone, Kori turned to Raven, her eyes serious.

"We need to talk."

Raven looked at Kori for the first time. "What about?"

"We just need to talk. It's important."

Kori decided that the library was the best place for her conversation with Raven. The library was always empty in the morning time, and the librarian didn't come around until noon. The library was the perfect spot for privacy, which was what Kori wanted.

Raven followed Kori as they made their way to the library. She flicked her gaze over to Kori, who seemed rather apprehensive, as if she had just taken on a burden she didn't know how to handle. Raven wondered if it had something to do with Dick, or perhaps even Kitten. Whatever it was, it was making Kori act weird.

Once inside the library, Kori and Raven moved towards the back. They had surrounded themselves with silence, and a barrier of bookshelves concealed them.

Raven looked at Kori expectantly, believing that since she brought them here she would say the first word. Kori, however, looked as if she was second guessing herself. Whatever was on her mind seemed to be eating her up inside.

"Well," Raven drawled. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Raven," Kori began slowly, thinking about which words to use. "I know about you... and Mr. Malchior."

And just like that, the ball dropped.

Raven turned to Kori with wide eyes, a look of disbelief on her face. This could not be happening. Her and Leon were always so careful, always talking in secret, meeting up in places no one would dare to look or even think off. No, it was impossible. Kori couldn't know.

"What about Mr. Malchior and I, Kori?" Raven inquired, desperate not to have her secret romance exposed, even if it meant lying.

"Raven, please don't do this. Don't lie to me," Kori looked at Raven with sad eyes. "I already know, there's no point to deny it any longer."

Raven narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "So how did you figure it out, hm? What, did you read my diary or something?"

Kori could tell by the tone of Raven's voice that she wasn't happy. Kori couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty. "I found out during the Halloween dance."

Raven glared at Kori with infuriated eyes. "You _spied_ on me?"

"No! I didn't, honest. I was worried about you. You seemed so upset...," Kori sighed deeply. "It just sort of happened. I'm sorry."

"So you know my big secret now, Kori," Raven said bitterly. "Congratulations."

Raven knew she shouldn't be acting this way with Kori, but she couldn't help it. She just felt so angry. Her relationship with Leon was exposed, and quite possibly in danger now that someone knew. Raven crossed her arms. For once she had a good relationship, like the ones in her novels. She was Juliet, and she had finally found her Romeo.

Raven couldn't help but feel that everything was unfair.

"I don't understand. Why are you with him?"

"He's special to me. He understands me."

"He's our teacher, Raven. Our _teacher_."

"Well excuse me for wanting to be with someone that I like," Raven snapped. "He makes me happy, and I make him happy. We're a perfect match. Why can't you understand that?"

"Because you're a junior in high school and he's twenty-four," Kori responded. She put a hand on Raven's shoulder. "I'm not trying to be mean, but don't you think that it would be better if you were with someone your own age?"

Raven shrugged Kori's hand off, glaring at her green-eyed companion. "Well I'm sorry, Kori, but not everyone can be like you. I don't have tons of guys lining up to date me. I didn't get some fairy tale romance were the guy I've been crushing on for like, ever, falls madly in love with me."

Kori looked hurt. "That's not fair. I never--"

"Don't talk to me about fair, Kori," Raven shouted, enraged. "Because what's not fair is you putting your nose into my relationship."

"I'm only looking out for you."

"Well do me a favor and don't. Just stay out of my business." Raven said, walking away.

Kori grabbed her arm. "We're not done talking."

Raven snatched her arm back, her eyes cold. "Yes, we are."

She walked away, leaving Kori in the library alone.

A frown settled upon Kori's face. She was only trying to help, but all she managed to do was make Raven upset. Kori sighed deeply, feeling depressed. "What am I going to do now?"

TT

"Kori, is something wrong?" Dick asked his girlfriend at the start of third period. Kori looked like she was on the verge of tears, and their was a frown on her face. Dick was worried, Kori was usually a cheerful person.

Kori turned her gaze away from the floor and looked Dick in the eye. She knew she couldn't tell him about her conversation with Raven, but it would be a foolish attempt to conceal her emotions from him, especially when she was depressed. "I... I don't feel like talking right now."

With that said, Kori side stepped around Dick and walked over to the bleachers. Dick kept his eyes on her as she walked away, a baffled expression on his face. He spotted Raven coming into the gym and strolled up to her. Maybe Raven would know why Kori was acting the way she was, they had the same free period which they spent together, it made sense to ask her.

Dick approached Raven. "Hey, Raven, do you..."

Raven marched right past him, a frown on her face. She looked like she was on the verge of punching a wall.

"Okay...," Dick murmured to himself. "Did I miss something?"

Raven and Kori's eyes met. The two girls held each others gaze before Raven turned away. Stepping on to the bleachers, Raven took a seat far away from Kori. Kori couldn't help but noticed this.

It wasn't long until Dick, Gar, Vic, Karen, Jenn, Jade, Roy, Wally, Alain and Toni showed up for gym. They occupied the space between Kori and Raven. They couldn't help but notice some tension.

Mr. Blood blew his whistle. He had a red ball tucked under his arm and his eyes were on his students, who had all taken seats upon the bleachers. "All right people, today we will be playing dodge ball," announced Mr. Blood. "Does anyone have any questions?"

Gar raised his hand.

"Alright, Gar, you're up first then."

"Aw man," Gar reluctantly walked down the bleachers. "I knew I should have kept my hand down."

"Kori, Kitten, Cindy and Mandy," began Mr. Blood. "You'll all be on Gar's team. Raven, Jake, Justin, Jason and Dick. You five will be the opposing team."

Gar gulped as soon as he heard the names Jake, Justin and Jason. Those three boys were the ones that harassed him outside of history class. Gar felt his stomach drop at the sight of their evil grins.

"I want a clean game. Start at the sound of my whistle." Mr. Blood paused, eyeing both teams. He blew his whistle.

The game was on.

Justin, Jake, and Jason each had a ball in their hands. They took aim and fired. All three balls were synchronized when they hit their target. Gar instantly fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

Mr. Blood blew his whistle. The game went on pause long enough for Gar to get off of the field. Once he was off the field, Mr. Blood blew his whistle for the game to continue.

The ball came into Raven's possession. She looked at the ball, then at Kori. Before Raven even realized it, the ball had left her hands and was coming towards Kori. Kori just barely managed to dodge it. She looked at Raven with shocked eyes.

"Raven, what the hell," Dick hissed angrily. "You almost hit, Kori!"

Raven turned her head to look at him. "Yeah, so?"

"So? That's Kori! If you're going to hit someone hit Kitten or her two friends."

"Tell me what to do again and I'll throw the ball at you," Raven replied, her voice reflecting her irritation. "Now back off."

On the other side of the court, Kori narrowed her eyes. She knew Raven was angry, she understood that Raven needed to release some of that anger, but Kori refused to be her target. She was only trying to help, she didn't mean any harm.

Provoked by her own anger, Kori threw a ball at Raven.

Raven gasped when a ball nearly hit her. She looked at Kori, the expression on her face being one of immense shock.

"She tried to hit me..." Raven mumbled.

"Kori! What are you doing?" Dick shouted. He couldn't figure out why all of a sudden two people, who are extremely close to each other, would attack each other. He understood that they were on different teams, but whenever any of them, not just Kori and Raven, were on different teams in gym class they always avoided each other till the point when Mr. Blood had to interfere.

"She started it." Kori replied, glaring at Raven.

Raven wanted to counter Kori's reply, but she knew she couldn't, not now anyways. All she could do now was play some dodge ball with Kori as her target.

And just like that, a battle had been waged.

It wasn't long until Kori and Raven were the only ones on the court. Gym was almost over, and the game still hadn't ended since each girl was unsuccessful at hitting their target.

"What are they doing? It's like they are out to get each other." Toni whispered to Alain.

Kori and Raven's friends were worried, but others had looked at their feud as a source of entertainment.

"This is perfect," Kitten told Cindy and Mandy, a bright smile on her face. "I didn't have to lift a finger and those two are practically at each others throats!"

Eventually, the bell rang.

Dick sighed in relief. Kori and Raven would have to stop playing now, and then he could pull them both to the side and ask them what was wrong.

"Dude, Kori and Raven aren't stopping." Alain said, his eyes on the court.

"What?" Dick nearly jumped out of his seat at the revelation.

"You two, stop it right now," demanded Mr. Blood, stepping on the court and blowing his whistle. "Stop it r--"

Two balls hit Mr. Blood in the face.

Kori and Raven gasped when their teacher fell to the floor. They didn't mean to hit him.

Mr. Blood stood up, rubbing his head. He glared at both Kori and Raven. "You two just earned a detention! After school, today!"

"Are you okay, sir?" Vic asked when Mr. Blood walked past him.

"Do I look okay to you?! Ugh... I'm going home for today."

Mr. Blood walked out of the gym, mumbling under his breath. "Stupid teenagers."

"What's with you two?" Dick asked, getting in the middle of Kori and Raven.

"I don't want to talk about it." Kori and Raven said at the same time. They glared at each other and walked out of the gym.

A baffled expression came across Dick's face. "Seriously, did I miss something?!"

TT

"Vic, is something wrong?" Sara asked, her eyes still on the text book in front of her.

They were in Mr. Mod's room, studying quietly, which was very unusual. Usually the two would be engaged in conversation. They would talk so much that the two had learned a lot about each other. So much that a friendship had formed between them because of it.

"What makes you think something is wrong?" Vic inquired, bringing his book up to his face. He didn't want Sara to worry about him.

"You're quiet," Sara pointed out, closing her text book. She sat up and walked over to him. She took a seat upon the desk, crossing her legs, and leaned over to him. Sara took the book from his hands, her expression serious. "Did something happen?"

Vic turned to look at her, but when he did he froze. His mouth opened slightly and the words died on his tongue. Never before did he realize how truly beautiful Sara really was.

Her legs were long and exposed, thanks to the plaid skirt she was wearing. Sara's blue eyes were shimmering in concern. The curves of her breast were covered by a white v neck shirt. Her lips were plump and covered in lip gloss.

"Vic? You're acting weird," Sara placed a hand on his forehead. "You're not sick are you?"

Vic could feel his face heating up. "No, no, I'm... good. I was just thinking."

Sara pulled away and raised an eyebrow. "About what, exactly?"

Vic sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Mr. Mod said that I've improved immensely."

"Vic, that's great. I'm proud of you."

"There's more to it. Mr. Mod said since I've improved so much that I may not need tutoring anymore."

"And now you're worried that if he takes you off of tutoring you won't be able to see me."

"What are you, physic?"

"You know, Vic, you shouldn't have been in tutoring in the first place. You're really intelligent," Sara mused. "You're just lazy. Mr. Mod gave you the kick that you needed to get back on track."

"Okay... but back to me not being able to see you."

"There you go, being lazy again," Sara said, hopping off of the desk. She went to go gather her things. "The fact that you're worried about losing me clearly shows that we're friends, and friends stick together. If Mr. Mod does decide to take you off of tutoring, we'll still hang out. That's a promise."

Vic couldn't help but smile to himself.

Sara winked at him. "So, would you like to have lunch with me?"

Vic blinked in surprise. "Now?"

"Yes, now. You're more than ready for tomorrow's test, and I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast."

Without a second thought, Vic was out of his chair and out the door with Sara by his side.

TT

Kori walked into the detention room and her eyes landed upon Raven. Raven was sitting in the back of the room, arms crossed. Kori bit her lip. She wanted to go apologize but she didn't know if now was the right time. She felt rather foolish about what had happened earlier at gym.

"Kori Anders, is that you," Mr. Mumbo questioned, stepping into the room. "Why it is! My, my, someone has been a naughty girl." Mr. Mumbo chuckled. "I never expected to see you here."

"Neither did I." Kori mumbled, taking a seat in the front.

"Alright-ie delinquents. Take a seat," Mr. Mumbo commanded. He stood in front of the desk, looking at the group of students who had detention. Two girls and four boys. "Wow, this must have been a slow day. Usually there's more kids here. Never matter... Welcome to detention all! For those of you not acquainted with detention, here's how it works. You stay in here for an hour, and I stay in the teachers lounge."

Kori blinked in surprise. Detention wasn't supposed to work like that.

"Oh, and one more thing," Mr. Mumbo said. "I want all of you to behave. I don't want any interruptions while I'm watching my soap operas."

One of the boys laughed and mumbled something under his breath.

Mr. Mumbo narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you. I know why you're in here. Perhaps I should share that information with the others--"

"No! I'll behave!" the boy responded quickly to the threat.

"Good." Mr. Mumbo smirked and left the room.

One of the boys quickly sat up from his seat and ran to the door. He opened it up just a bit and peered outside. He turned towards the other boys in the classroom. "The coast is clear. Let's bail!"

The other boys quickly stood up and left the room.

Kori blinked in surprise. Detention sure wasn't what she imagined it would be.

"What idiots." Raven muttered.

"I can only imagine what they did to get in here." Kori said with a giggle.

Raven grinned. "Probably something perverted."

Raven and Kori giggled, then stopped. They both looked in opposite directions and the room became silent.

Kori rubbed her arm. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't stand Raven being mad at her. Kori turned around in her chair, her eyes focused on Raven. "I'm sorry!"

Raven was caught off guard by the sudden outburst. "Pardon?"

"I said I was sorry," Kori stood up from her seat and looked at her intently. "I never meant to upset you. I was just concerned. Raven, you're on of my best friends, I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Leon won't hurt me," Raven stated firmly. "He cares about me, Kori. Why can't you believe that?"

"Because, a grown man having a relationship with a high school student just doesn't seem customary. I mean, what would have happened if someone like Kitten found out? She would hold this over your head--"

"That's why me and Leon are being careful."

Kori shook her head and buried her face into her hands. "I don't think this is good for you."

"Why can't you be happy for me? I finally found that special something you, Dick and the others have."

Kori lowered her gaze, deep in thought. She had noticed that over the past few weeks Raven has been more cheerful. Was it because of Mr. Malchior? Did he truly make Raven happy? Even so... What about the risk? Surely the risk alone wasn't worth it. Or, perhaps, it was. Raven didn't seem to mind, and she hasn't been caught by anyone else. Maybe her romance with Mr. Malchior, or rather Leon, would work.

"I want you to be happy, Raven," Kori said softly. "And if your romance with... Leon... makes you happy, then I won't stand in your way."

"You mean that?"

Kori nodded her head.

"So you'll keep my secret?" Raven asked, eyes pleading.

Again, Kori nodded.

Abruptly, Raven embraced Kori. "Thank you."

This time, Kori was the one caught off guard, even so she returned the hug.

TT

"Hey, Mal...," Karen had paused from helping him put away the music equipment, a duty they had taken on in exchange for using the music room. "Do you really think I have a chance at winning this thing?"

"Of course," Mal responded as he placed a violin back in its case. "Why wouldn't you?"

"Well, for one, I have yet to pick a song."

"We've narrowed it down to three of your favorites, all of which we've memorized perfectly. Besides, you still got time to pick the song you like most."

"Yeah... I guess you're right. It's just nerve racking, you know."

"I used to feel the same way back when I first began performing. But you can't let that feeling consume you. This is music we're talking about, not one of Mr. Mod's test."

Karen couldn't help but giggle at that.

"Karen, if you're serious about this then you need to let the music flow through you. Music reflects emotion, having a positive attitude can help you achieve your goal. Remember that."

Karen nodded. What Mal was saying was true. Music was like emotion. Whenever she was sad, she could just hear the depressing music. Whenever she was happy, she would play an upbeat song. She never realized that before until now. She also never realized how wise Mal can be. It seemed he always had something intellectual to say. It was inspiring.

"Karen."

Karen looked up. "Yeah, Mal, what is it?"

Mal stood before her. He grabbed one of Karen's hands and pulled her to him, enveloping her in a hug. One of his hands was behind her head and one of his arms was wrapped around her waist. Karen's face turned red.

"I don't want you to worry about this anymore. You'll do fine. You'll have me and all of your friends cheering you on."

"Uh-huh."

Karen could barely speak. Her and Mal had become good friends already, and they already knew so much about each other, but that hug... It sent shivers down Karen's spine and her heart felt like it could burst. Why exactly was that? Mal was just a friend... a very handsome friend.

Mal pulled away and smiled gently at Karen. "Hey... do you, maybe, wanna go out and get something to eat when we're done here?"

Karen's eyes went wide. "Oh crap! I have to go meet Vic at the pizzeria. Mal, could you--"

"Say no more. I'll finish packing up. You go and enjoy yourself."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you," Karen grabbed her bag and made a dash for the door. "I owe you one!"

Mal chuckled and shook his head in amusement. "So cute..."

TT

Vic started oddly at the meal in front of him. He wasn't quite sure what it was exactly, but it just didn't seem natural to him. He looked over at Sara was peacefully eating her meal.

"Um... Sara, would you mind telling me what this is again?"

"It's sushi, Vic."

"Yeah, I got that part. But what exactly is... it?"

"It's raw fish wrapped in sea weed."

"Are you sure this stuff is edible? I mean, we can take this to my house. I'll throw it on the grill and maybe add some ketchup or something."

Sara giggled. "Oh, Vic, you joker."

Vic frowned at his plate. He _seriously _didn't want to eat this. It looked worse than Gar's tofu. Vic gulped. He had to do it, for Sara. After all, it would be rude not too after she paid for the lunch (Vic was short on cash so Sara paid for his share as well as her own), that, and she invited him.

Vic picked up his chop sticks and attempted to pick up the sushi. The chop sticks were held awkwardly in his hand and his first attempt failed miserably. He tried again, and again, and again, but failed each time.

Vic growled in frustration. "Stupid chop sticks..."

Sara giggled. "Here, let me help you," using her own chop sticks, Sara picked up Vic's sushi and presented it to him. "Open wide."

Vic did as he was told and took a bite. He chewed and swallowed. "That was... really gross."

Vic clapped his hands in front of his mouth, mentally scolding himself for saying that out loud. Sara began to laugh however, and Vic soon joined her.

TT

"Miss, are you going to order?" asked the waitress at the pizzeria. She had come by Karen's both three times already. Each time Karen sent her away, telling her she was waiting for someone.

"You know what... I'm sorry," Karen said, standing up. "Clearly my date isn't going to show up."

With that said Karen left the pizzeria. As soon as she was outside she sighed deeply. Looking up at the clear blue sky she couldn't help but frown.

"Where are you, Vic?"

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO BerryDrops, Among The Betrayed, Agent of the Divine One, raeXXstarry, toonfan820, mysteree101, featherpen13, xxScriblezxx, cookiesruletheworld, TerraBB4Eva, ravencherithgirl, Ace.04, Star 4 Robin, Affinitive, cookiegurl15 AND Hidden Iris FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I CAN'T THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH FOR ALL OF THE SUPPORT.**

**I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: UNFAITHFUL**

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	17. Victims of love

Vic drummed his fingers against the steering wheel of his car. It was morning, and school would be starting soon. If it was up to Vic, he would be pulling into the school's parking lot by now. Unfortunately, it wasn't up to him. It was up to Karen.

Ever since freshman year, Vic and Karen have always come to school together (unless one of them decided to stay home). It was a regular routine for Vic to pick Karen up and then the two would head off to school. Usually Karen was waiting by her front door for Vic, but not today. Today she was taking her time, a very long time in Vic's opinion.

Vic beeped the car horn in annoyance. He stuck his head out the front passenger seat window. "Karen! What's the hold up? We're gonna be late, c'mon!"

The door opened and closed, revealing Karen. She walked over to Vic's car and got in.

"About time," Vic said. "What took you so long?"

Karen glared at him through the corner of her eye. She crossed her arms and looked out the window. "Just drive."

The sharpness in her voice instantly made Vic obey. He took off with out a second of hesitation.

The car ride was completely silent.

Vic stole a quick glance at Karen before turning his eyes back to the rode. He noticed that she had a frown on her face and the expression in her eyes was one of depression.

Vic instantly pulled over, hands gripping the steering wheel.

"You were just bitchin' a minute ago telling me to hurry up," Karen began, the tone of her voice dry and indifferent. "So what's the held up? Drive already."

"I'm not moving this car until you tell me what's wrong." Vic declared, looking at Karen.

Karen turned to him, eyes full of rage. "For you not to know just proves the fact that you're a fool!"

Vic flinched, feeling a bit scared. An angry Karen was never a good thing. "I... I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"

"You idiot! You left me all alone at the pizzeria yesterday! I waited for half an hour and you didn't show! You ditched me! You asshole!"

Vic looked baffled with his eyes wide open. "We had a date yesterday?"

Karen clenched her fist. She was trying to hold back the urge of pounding her boyfriend. "Yes! Yes we did!"

"Oh...," Vic smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I forgot. Sorry."

In all honesty, he did forget. He was so excited about going out to lunch with Sara, that he forgot all about his date with Karen. Vic briefly considered telling Karen the truth about his whereabouts yesterday, and what he was doing and with who, but decided against it. If Karen found out that he forgot about his date with her to go out with another girl, she was liable to kill him.

"Yeah, I noticed." Karen dead panned, turning her gaze towards the window.

"Hey, I said I was sorry. You're not still mad are you?"

"Of course I'm mad!" Karen snapped. For someone so smart, Vic could be so dumb.

"But it was one date, it's not like it matters. We can have a date today we'll go to the movies."

"I can't go out today. I have to babysit the twins," Karen replied, referring to the little twin boys next door to her house. They only speak Spanish, and ever since the time Kori helped Karen babysit, they have been madly in love with her. "And how dare you say that our date didn't matter? Every date is special."

"Technically we shouldn't even refer to it as a date. I mean, I didn't show up so--"

"Oh, shut up!" Karen shouted, livid. She grabbed her book bag and stepped out of the car.

"Where are you going?" Vic questioned, poking his head out of the car window.

"To school!" Karen responded, walking away.

Vic drove the car up to her, driving slowly to match her pace. "Get back in the car, Karen."

"I can walk to school just fine, thank you."

"You're being ridiculous."

"And you're being an asshole."

"You know what... fine. Walk to school. See if I care." Vic snapped, driving away.

Karen huffed. "Jerk."

TT

Dick poked at his lunch and eyed Kori. He mouthed a question and jerked his head towards Vic, then Karen. Kori shrugged and looked over at Gar. His response was the same as her own.

It was lunch time. Dick, Kori, Gar, Karen, Vic, Raven, Toni, Alain, Wally, Jenn, Jade and Roy all sat at their usual table. Despite the usual routine, something was very wrong. That much was clear when Karen had taken a seat in between Raven and Toni. Karen usually sat besides Vic during lunch. The same went for Vic, who had sat in between Dick and Wally. Usually he was quick to take a seat by Karen.

That was just the tip of the iceberg.

When the group of friends began to converse with each other, Vic and Karen had remained completely silent. They didn't make eye contact with each other at all. It was clear to the others that Vic and Karen were in a dispute.

"Okay, I give," Toni declared, raising her hands in defeat. She looked at Karen and then at Vic. "What the hell is up with you two?"

Vic threw his fork on his tray, glaring at Karen. "Why don't you ask her."

"Don't even try and shift blame on to me," Karen said, glaring at Vic. "You know what you did. You're the one at fault, not me."

"Okay, I admit that I screwed up, but you didn't have to bitch about it."

"Uh, dude, maybe you should stop while you're ahead," whispered Wally. He was looking out for Vic. He had learned, from personal experience, that it was not wise to upset your girlfriend. "You're stepping into dangerous territory."

"He already stepped into dangerous territory when he ditched me yesterday." Karen said, having heard Wally's warning to Vic.

"I said I was sorry!"

"Yeah, well, I don't believe you," Karen responded, standing up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go clear my head."

With that said Karen left the table.

Kori stood up as well. "I'm going to go talk to her."

"I'll come too." Toni said, leaving the table along with Kori.

"Great," Gar began sarcastically. "First Kori and Raven, now Vic and Karen. Who's next, hm? Toni and Alain? Gosh, what's wrong with you people!?"

Raven scoffed, slapping Gar behind his head. "You're not one to talk, dork."

TT

The school day had finally come to an end. Vic sighed in relief, glad that the day was finally over. Today wasn't one of his best days, and he was glad that he could finally go home. Well, almost. He still had to make a stop at his locker.

Grabbing whatever he needed and shoving it into his back pack, Vic closed his locker door.

Suddenly, a pair of hands covered his eyes.

Karen instantly came to Vic's mind. A wide smile was on his face when he turned around.

"Kar--Oh... Hey, Sara." Vic did his best to hide his disappointment. He was happy to see Sara, but he had his hopes up that it would be Karen instead.

"That's not the reaction I was hoping for," Sara put her hands on her hips. "I'm insulted."

"I'm sorry. I am happy to see you but...," Vic sighed. "Never mind."

"Oh, I know that look. Bad day?"

"Horrible day."

"Ouch. What happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," Vic decided it was best not to bring up the subject of Karen with Sara, seeing as Sara played a part in it as well. He wanted to change the subject. "So, uh, what's up with you?"

"A couple of friends of mine are having a party tonight. And, if you're not busy, I was hoping you can come with me."

"I don't know if that's a good idea..." Vic had to think before he acted. Would it be a good idea to go to a party with Sara? Probably not. After all, him going out with her yesterday was the reason why he had a fight with Karen. Then again, would it really matter if he went? Karen was babysitting tonight and he didn't have any plans.

"It'll be fun." Sara persuaded.

"You know what... Sure," Vic nodded his head, confident in his decision. "I'll go."

TT

Vic followed Sara as they walked through the crowd. They were at the party and Sara wanted to introduce Vic to some of her friends. Her hand held his as she guided him through the house. Vic couldn't help but notice that most of the students at the party were seniors. He was curious as to what Sara's friends would be like.

"Are you worried?" Sara asked, looking back at him.

"What," Vic shook his head. "No, why would I be?"

Sara chuckled. "Okay tough guy. But just let me say this, my friends will love you. I just know it."

Sara pulled Vic through the kitchen and out the back door. Outside was a vast amount of teenagers by the pool. Outside was also a tire swing attached to a tree and a grill. Sara waved at the small group of teens by the grill. She tugged at Vic's hand, pulling him along.

"Sara, so glad you could make it," said a boy with curly black hair and brown eyes. He had a pink apron on and was managing the grill. He wrapped Sara in a hug. "What do you think of the party?"

"It's great, Marco." Sara replied, letting him go.

"Oh, is this that guy you told us about?" Marco asked, eyeing Vic.

"Yup, that's him. Vic, this is Marco," Sara introduced. She pointed from right to left. "And that's Laura, Nicole and Dan."

"It is a pleasure to meet you. Sara has spoken highly of you," Marco said, shaking his hand. "Mmm, you're a cute one."

Vic rose a brow. "Excuse me?"

"Enough, Marco," said Dan. Dan was definitely the masculine type, one could tell by his broad shoulders and abs, which were exposed due to his lack of a shirt. His blonde hair reached his shoulders and his green eyes were brilliant in color. "Sorry 'bout that. Marco has a tendacy to flirt with guys that he thinks are cute."

"Which is why I never hit on you, Dan."

"Ignore both of them. They bicker a lot." Laura told Vic. Laura's blonde hair was long and curly. Her eyes were a sparkling blue.

"It's nice to meet you, Vic," said Nicole, who had short red hair and hazel eyes. She pointed her thumb towards a cooler by the grill. "Beer?"

"Oh, no, I don't drink," Vic said, shaking his head. "A friend of mines had a drinking problem."

"So that means you're not allowed to drink?" Nicole asked.

"Nicole." Sara scolded, her tone of voice becoming a warning.

Nicole shrugged. "Whatever," she took Dan's hand and pulled him to the back door of the house. "C'mon Danny boy, I feel like dancing. Nice meetin' you, Vic!"

"Sorry about Nicole," Sara said to Vic. "She can be--"

"A real bitch." cut in Marco.

"Don't worry about it," Vic chuckled. "She actually reminds me of one of my friends. But she does have a point. One beer wouldn't hurt."

"Alright, Vic," cheered Nicole, making a symbol with her hand. "Woo!"

Vic chuckled and grabbed a beer. Sara's friends weren't all bad. They were actually kind of cool, though weird.

"So, Vic," Marco began, his attention on the grill. "Sara tells us that you're just a junior."

"With Vic's brains he's practically a senior." Sara claimed.

"Uh-huh," Nicole giggled and leaned over to Marco to whisper something in his ear. "She always did prefer younger guys."

Marco chuckled. "Can you say cradle snatcher?"

"What are you two whispering about?" Sara questioned, eyes narrowed and arms crossed.

"Oh nothing."

"Well I think I've had enough fresh air. Come on, Vic," Sara grabbed Vic's hand and pulled him inside the house. A long sigh escaped her lips. "I'm sorry about my friends. They--"

"Don't worry about it. My friends are weird too. Maybe I can introduce you to them some time."

"I would like that," Sara smiled. "Do you want to dance?"

Vic gulped up the remainder of his beer and threw the empty can to the side. A wide grin spread across his lips. "Let's party!"

TT

Raven's eye twitched in annoyance. "Kori... why are we doing this again?"

"Because, at Toni's sleep over you couldn't talk about Leon," Kori responded, a bright smile of her face. "Us having our very own sleep over gives you that chance."

"Okay, that I understand... But why are you braiding my hair?"

Raven was sitting on Kori's bed, arms and legs crossed with a magazine on her lap. Kori sat behind her, braiding the goth's hair into two ponytails. Kori had decided to have a sleep over with only her and Raven. Kori figured that since Raven couldn't participate at Toni's sleep over during girl talk, she would participate in girl talk if they had a sleep over with just them.

"Because it wouldn't be a real sleep over if we didn't perform braiding maneuvers on our hair or paint out nails!"

Raven sighed. "This is lame--Ow!"

Kori smiled innocently. "Did I tug too hard? Sorry."

"Alright, I get the point. I won't complain."

"Thank you."

"So what's the deal with Vic and Karen?"

"Well, Vic missed a date and acted as if it was no big deal. That really made Karen upset and they got into a fight."

"Did you and Toni calm her down?"

"Sort of, she's still really upset," Kori sighed. She hated it when her friends fought. "When Karen calms down they'll make up and everything will be okay."

"Yeah. Vic and Karen can never stay mad at each other for two long. They hardly ever fight."

"Do you and Leon ever argue?"

"The closest thing to an argument that I've had with him is when we talk about our favorite poets. Which reminds me, how are you and Dick doing? All I got to hear from you during Toni's sleep over was how he's been touchy lately."

"Dick and I are fine and stronger than ever. He doesn't even bother me about my friendship with Xavier anymore."

"That's a miracle."

"You know, I'm actually surprised that they don't get along. They are similar in so many ways."

"I can think of one way." Raven muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Raven responded quickly, not wanting Kori to yank her hair again.

Kori decided to ignore Raven's previous comment. She smiled and clapped her hands. "All done! Here," Kori grabbed a mirror and handed it to Raven. "Take a look."

Raven did as she was told and looked in the mirror. She ran her fingers against one of the braids, her eyes narrowed. "I look like a dweeb."

"You look fine," Kori assured her, turning around. "Come on, you can braid my hair now."

Raven sighed and reluctantly did as she was told. As her fingers worked magic, Raven mused to herself. Her thoughts focused on the current situation, how she was here now and the events of yesterday. Raven felt undeserving of Kori's kindness. After all, Kori didn't have to keep her secret or throw this tiny sleep over. But she did it anyway, because she cared.

Raven sighed. "Kori..."

"I know you don't like braiding hair, but could you please just do it."

"I wasn't going to say that."

"Oh... then what were you going to say?"

"I wanted to say... that I was sorry. I was a... real bitch to you yesterday. You were only trying to help me, like you always do, and I was too blind to see it. I'm sorry."

Kori smiled. "I forgive you. After all, that's what friends do. Right?"

Raven smiled and nodded. "Kori, there's one more thing that I want to say."

"What is it?"

"I know you have your heart set on 'braiding maneuvers', but do we really have to paint our nails?"

"For the last time, yes!"

TT

The night sky covered Jump City. It was late, and Vic had just arrived at Sara's house. He had decided to give her a ride home, and his car just now pulled into her drive way.

"Vic, I can not thank you enough for driving me home." Sara said.

"It's the least I can do after you took me to that party," Vic said. "And besides, my parents are at some convention. If I get home late I won't be grounded."

"I had a lot of fun tonight. I'm so glad you came...," Sara said softly, looking at Vic. "Would you like to come inside?"

"Uh... sure. Why not."

Vic unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out of the car. He walked behind Sara all the way to her front door. Sara fiddled with some keys before opening the door. She stepped to the side and allowed Vic to go in first. Hesitant, Vic walked in slowly with Sara right behind him.

Sara switched on the lights.

Vic looked around. "Nice house."

"Thanks. Do you want something to eat or drink? You barely had anything at the party."

"No, no, I'm fine," vic assured her. "So... where are your parents?"

"They went to go visit my aunt. They'll be back come next week."

Silence fell upon them.

"I should go," said Vic. "It's late and we both have school tomorrow."

"You're right. Thanks again, Vic. I had a wonderful time." Sara reached up and kissed Vic on the cheek.

Sara moved away, her eyes staring intently at Vic, their faces not too far from each other. Time seemed to stop since neither one of them were moving. It felt like if they were to move, they would miss something, something important. Vic could hear his heart beating rapidly. Why was it that suddenly he felt so confused inside? Maybe if he said something...

No words came to mind.

Suddenly, Sara's hands touched his cheeks. Vic was frozen in his spot, but he could feel the warmth in her hands. He could feel how smooth her hands were.

Sara moved in closer and brushed her lips against his.

It was a simple touch, quick in time, barely a kiss. But it was enough to leave an impression, a feeling of want and need. It was stimulating.

Sara had reeled back after her action, but Vic moved in. He captured Sara's lips in a kiss. It was a bold move, but Vic was shy about it, as if he was testing the waters. He didn't push or anything. It was a quick action, and it ended just as quickly.

That's when realization came crashing down.

Now Vic's heart beat really sped up.

What did he just do? His mind screamed at him and yet he couldn't respond.

Sara's hands took his. She pulled him to the towards the stairs.

No. No. No! Vic's mind continued to scream. This wasn't right. He had a girlfriend. Karen. He needed to stop this, now. He opened his mouth to speak, but failed miserably. He couldn't even form a sentence.

"Sara... my... m-my g-girl... friend-d..."

"Shh," Sara placed a finger to his lips. She removed her finger and cupped his cheeks. She leaned in and kissed him, this time making the kiss last as long as possible. Sara pulled away and took his hands once more. "Come upstairs with me."

Vic's body seemed to have a mind of it's own and his legs gradually moved him forward, taking him up the stairs one step at a time.

Once up the stairs, Sara let him to her room. He stepped inside and she closed the door behind them.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO StarReader86, jcyz, Ace.04, BerryDrops, Affinitive, TerraBB4Eva, Trimacle, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, Hidden Iris, cookiesruletheworld, cookiegurl15, Star 4 Robin, ravencherithgirl, Olivia, writing4eva, clarkLover1, Among The Betrayed, tennisgal456, xxScriblezxx, Lizzy, Agent of the Divine One, mysteree101, featherpen13 AND RavenSis FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!**

**NEXT CHAPTER: TALENT SHOW**

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	18. When it all falls apart

Vic had awoken early this morning. When he did, he was faced with a horrid realization.

He had cheated on Karen.

The sun light had leaked through the windows, shining in his eyes. His eyes had looked out the window and he wished that the cream colored curtains weren't open. That's when he realized that he wasn't in his room, his room didn't have curtains. That's when the events of last night consumed his mind. Every detail, every occurrence, whether it was a minor touch or heated kiss, was burned into his mind.

His gaze shifted on to the girl sleeping soundly on his chest. Her hair was sprawled in an irregular fashion on her back, and her cheek was pressed on to his chest. Her right hand rested on his shoulder, and the yellow blanket on top of them only covered their lower areas.

Vic blushed at the feeling of her body pressed against his.

This was a bad situation. This wasn't even supposed to be a situation he should be in to begin with. His first time was supposed to be with Karen, the girl he loved. Instead, his first time was whisked away by a girl he lusted after. Vic cursed himself, why couldn't he just control his hormones?

This wasn't right. He shouldn't be here.

Slowly and cautiously, Vic slipped out of bed, being careful not to disturb Sara from her sleep. He put her in a comfortable position and pulled the blanket to her shoulders.

Vic hated what he was about to do, but he didn't have much of a choice. He couldn't stay here.

Vic rustled around Sara's room as quietly as he could, collecting all of his clothes that were discarded. The last thing he picked up were his boots. He held them in his hands as he tip-toed his way to the door. He stepped out, but paused. His gaze wondered over to Sara, who was snuggling into her pillow with a peaceful expression on her face.

Vic closed the door behind him and sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, Sara... but most of all... I'm sorry... Karen."

Vic ran down the stairs as fast as he could. Once he hit the foyer he put on his boots, he didn't even bother to tie his boots, and just ran out the door and to his car.

It didn't take long until Vic's car was driving down the street, far away from Sara's house.

Vic has rushed home after leaving Sara's place. As soon as he got home, he rushed up the stairs and jumped in the shower. He felt filthy and disgusted in himself. He had done the one thing he swore never to do.

He cheated on someone he loved.

Vic hated himself right now, he hated what he did.

He was so confused. He loved Karen but... he couldn't deny the fact that he had some feelings for Sara.

"Dammit," Vic punched the wall in his bathroom after stepping out of the shower. "I don't have time for this."

School would be starting soon. Vic couldn't just stay home and think about what he did. He needed to go to school... and face the music.

TT

Vic fumbled with the lock on his locker door. He had arrived at school just in time, but his nerves were shot. He couldn't focus. His mind kept thinking back to his night with Sara.

Vic felt worried. What was he going to do? Not only would he have to face Sara, but Karen too.

Vic groaned and bumped his head on his locker. He was in trouble.

Someone coughed behind him.

Vic lazily turned his head to the side. Once he saw who was behind him, he gasped.

Vic pushed his back against his locker, shocked at who was standing in front of him. "K-Karen. W-what are you doing here?"

"It's a school day," Karen replied simply, raising a brow and crossing her arms. "Why are you so jumpy this morning?"

"No reason." Vic responded quickly, nervous. He couldn't tell Karen the truth. At least not yet.

"Listen... yesterday Kori, Toni and I talked about what happened between us and... I just wanted to say sorry."

"Huh?"

"I said sorry," Karen repeated. "I was mad before, but this morning I woke up and got ready for school, and when I stepped outside you weren't there. It hurt more than I expected it would... I realize that you would never purposely hurt me. Can we please just put this feud behind us?"

"Karen..." Vic didn't know what to say, so he used action instead. He pulled Karen into a hug, holding her tightly.

While Vic held Karen in his arms, a conflict rose with in him. His emotions had gone haywire. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to hurt Karen, but he would if he told her the truth. Did that make it right for him to lie to her? He wasn't sure. But for now... he wouldn't tell her the truth.

TT

Gym had just ended. Dick, Kori, Vic, Gar, Karen, Raven, Jenn, Jade, Toni, Alain, Wally and Roy were all currently leaving the gym and heading towards the lunch area.

Currently the girls, minus Raven, were cheering for themselves. During gym Mr. Blood had decided to give the students some free time. The girls and boys decided to play some basketball. It was boys versus girls, and at first the boys had taken the lead. Unfortunately for them the girls took control of the game. They had a few tricks up their sleeves, especially Kori who had won the game for the girls.

The ball had been in Dick's possession, but Kori had convinced him to give it to her with a kiss and a promise for a make-out session later.

Dick immediately gave the ball to Kori after that.

"Girls rule, and boys drool! Girls rule, and boys drool!"

"Okay, that's enough," Gar snapped. "You girls only won because you cheated!"

"Did we, Gar," questioned Toni, staring at him intently. "Or did your own team sabotage you!?"

"She brings up a good point," Roy responded, looking at the boys and crossing his arms. "You guys are such suckers."

"Like you're one to talk," Alain snapped. "If Jade would have been playing you would have been the first one to crack."

"Alright enough," Wally shouted. "I think we all know the real reason why we lost the game." Wally pointed an accusing finger at Dick. "It's all Dick's fault! He gave the ball to Kori!"

"Hey! I may have given the ball to Kori," began Dick. "But can any one of you honestly say you wouldn't have done the same thing in my position?"

"Well..."

"Uh..."

"Hm..."

"..."

Dick crossed his arms. "Thought so."

"You boys are acting like sore losers." Raven uttered.

"Tell you what," Jenn announced. "Since we won, we'll treat you boys to dessert to make you feel better. Sounds good?"

The boys immediately nodded their heads, smiling ear to ear.

"I guess what they say is true," muttered Jade. "The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Kori giggled. "That or you can just offer them a kiss."

The girls laughed at this while Dick just grumbled to himself.

They continued to make their way to the lunch area, with the girls continuing to poke fun at the boys. They were almost there...

That's when someone interrupted them.

"Vic."

Vic froze in place, his mind racing. He knew that voice. He turned around and gulped. Sara was standing there.

Unbeknownst to Vic, the others had stopped when he did.

"Helloooooo foxy lady," Gar purred, sauntering up to Sara. "What's your name cutie pie?"

"For one, I don't think it's cutie pie." Dick pointed out, grabbing Gar by the collar of his shirt and yanking him away from Sara.

"Sorry about that," Raven told Sara. "Our little friend here is touched in the head."

"You must be Vic's friends," Sara noted. "I'm Sara, Vic's tutor."

"You're Sara? Oh it is so nice to meet you. I'm Karen by the way, Vic's girlfriend," greeted Karen, shaking Sara's hand. "Thank you so much for getting Vic back on track with his work."

"It was no problem. Vic's extremely intelligent," Sara looked over at Vic. "Uh, Vic... could we talk alone for a minute? It's about tutoring."

Vic could tell that Sara was lying, but he couldn't call her out on it. Instead, he decided to go along with it. "Okay. Guys, I'll meet you at our lunch table when I'm done talking."

"Alright, but don't take to long," Karen replied, kissing Vic on the cheek. "We can't guarantee that Wally won't eat your dessert." Karen smiled at Sara. "It was nice meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you too. All of you."

The others all filed out, heading towards the outside lunch area.

Vic found himself all alone with Sara.

"So that's Karen...," Sara smiled a small smile. "She seems like a sweet girl."

"She is." Vic replied softly.

Sara looked away. "... why did you leave? I woke up and you weren't there."

"Sara, I'm sorry about what I did this morning but... things are really complicated for me right now. I mean, I had sex with you. I cheated on my girlfriend," Vic responded frantically, rubbing his head. "Everything is so messed up right now and I don't know what to do."

"Vic... I know you care about Karen but," Sara's eyes began to glisten with tears and she quickly rubbed them away. "I care about you, a lot. I have feelings for you."

Vic was in shock. "You do?"

"I do, and I think you care about me too," Sara took Vic's hands in her own, her thumb rubbing his knuckles. "Am I right?"

Vic lowered his gaze. "I can't deny the fact that I've developed feelings for you, but I still care about Karen."

"I see," Sara moved in close to Vic and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Vic instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. Sara pulled away and moved her lips against Vic's ear. "I understand that you're having a conflict of interest right now, but I'm willing to wait until you've made your decision... But in the meantime, I can be a secret."

Sara gave Vic one last kiss and took off, walking down the hall.

Vic touched his lips and walked away, heading towards the door leading to the outside lunch area.

From around the corner stepped Kitten, a wicked expression on her face. She tapped her fingers, the smile on her face expanding. "I've struck gold."

TT

_Vic was in the middle of Sara and her bedroom door. His back was pushed against the door and Sara's slim body was pressed against his. She kissed fiercely at his neck and lips, her fingers already working at his button shirt. Vic's arms were suspended in air, not sure of what to do. He wasn't sure if he should touch her or not._

_Sara pulled Vic away from the door, quickly removing his shirt and tossing it to the floor. She guided him to the bed and pushed him on his back. Sara crawled on top of him and kissed his lips. Her hands traveled lower until she reached Vic's belt. Sitting up straight, Sara undid Vic's belt and threw it to the floor._

_Vic's hands reached up to Sara's shirt. His hands were sweaty and clumsy, he couldn't even undo the first button._

_Sara took control and did the deed for him, removing her own shirt. Vic couldn't help but notice how she was the one in control, it was like she was a pro at this sort of thing._

_Any thoughts after that were pushed to the side when Sara leaned in for another kiss._

"Yo, Vic," Gar greeted, rather loudly, pulling Vic away from his memories. Gar stepped into Vic's room and closed the door behind him. "I got your call and came as fast as I could. What's up?"

Vic sighed. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since his night with Sara and the secret was already eating him alive. What Vic needed now was a release, he needed to life some things off his chest. He needed to tell someone, he needed advice. What he needed now was his best friend, Gar.

"Hello, anyone in there?" Gar tapped Vic on his head in a knocking fashion.

"Cut it out," Vic snapped, slapping Gar's hand away. "I need to talk to you. It's serious."

"If it's so serious why did you wait until now to say something? Three hours ago we were in school, you could have told me then. I had to go home, then go back outside to come to your house. What the hell man?"

"Are you done now?" Vic exasperated.

Gar took a deep breath, as if he was ready to make a big speech. He released the breath and slumped on to Vic's bed. "I'm done."

"Okay, this isn't easy for me to say," Vic began to pace back and forth while rubbing his neck. "Gar, you're my best friend, and I trust you a lot... If I told you something you'll still be by my side right?"

"Oh man...," the expression on Gar's face was one of immense shock. "You're gay!"

"What? No, no! I'm not gay."

"Oh... So then what is it?"

Vic sighed and leaned against the wall, opposite of Gar. He crossed his arms and stared at the floor. His silence began to worry Gar.

"I... I cheated on Karen."

Vic spoke so softly Gar thought he heard wrong. Gar immediately told himself that he heard wrong. Vic wasn't that type of guy, he would never cheat on Karen. Never. Gar wouldn't believe something like that, he refused.

Gar laughed. "You know what's funny, I thought I heard you say that you cheated on Karen. Ha, that's a laugh! You wouldn't do something like that, would you?... Vic?"

Vic was silent and he continued to look at the floor.

Gar began to worry. "Vic... You would never cheat on Karen right? You wouldn't... would you?"

"Gar... I'm not proud of myself right now--"

"No! C'mon, Vic! I know you too well," Gar shouted, standing up. "You would never do something like that to Karen! This is some sort of sick joke. You're just messing with me."

"Gar," Vic bellowed. "Enough, okay! I'm telling you the truth... I cheated on Karen."

Gar sat on Vic's bed, his face blank. "Why?"

"It just sort of happened okay! I couldn't stop myself... Dammit, I'm such an idiot!"

"Does... does this mean that the group is going to split up?" Gar asked quietly, his eyes downcast.

Vic rose a brow. "What would make you think something like that?"

"Sophomore year. When Dick broke up with Kori we all turned on him. Does this mean we'll turn on you too?"

"Don't say such stupid things."

"How is what I'm saying stupid? When Karen finds out what you did she'll hate you. And the girls, they are like sisters! Plus, everyone is paired up. This is gonna tear the group apart!"

"Hopefully things won't come to that."

Gar ran his fingers through his hair. "Who was it?"

"Huh?"

"Who did you cheat on Karen with?"

"...Sara."

"Your tutor! Dude... but she's a senior, and a babe at that, how--"

"I don't know," Vic sat in his chair, suddenly feelings exhausted. "She invited me to a party, afterwards I drove her home... One thing lead to another and the next thing I know we're in bed together."

"Maybe Karen doesn't have to know about this. It was one time right?"

"Yeah, but there's more. Sara said she has feelings for me."

"So," Gar scoffed. "It's not like you have feelings for her... You don't have feelings for her right? Please tell me you don't have feelings for her."

Vic looked the other way, avoiding eye contact with Gar.

"Aw, come the fuck on! Dammit, Vic! You can't really have feelings for that girl. What about Karen?"

"I still care about Karen too."

"Funny way of showing it." Gar mumbled.

"Gar, I don't know what to do. I like two girls," Vic groaned. "What should I do?"

Gar remained silent. He didn't have an answer to Vic's question. Throughout the years he has had only crushes and less than five girlfriends. Every time he was involved in anything that included romance he went to Vic. Vic was like a big brother to him, to see him so messed up was shocking. Gar wanted to help see him out of this mess but he didn't know how. He wasn't experienced in this area, he didn't know what kind of advice to give. Gar sighed, he wished someone wise like Kori was here. She always managed to help her friends when they were in trouble.

Gar rested his chin in the palm of his hand. "High school really sucks."

"Tell me about it." Vic murmured.

Both boys sighed.

TT

Toni tapped the tip of her shoe against the floor. As soon as school was over she had dragged Karen to her house. Together, the two were searching through Toni's closet in hopes of finding the perfect outfit for Karen to wear for the talent show. The process of locating the perfect outfit turned out to be a difficult task, and Toni was beginning to get annoyed.

"C'mon, Karen," pleaded Toni. "Just pick something already."

"Toni, this is my first performance. I have to look perfect."

"Sweetie, you got a hot bod and a cute face. I don't think the outfit is gonna matter much."

Karen glared at Toni. "Well it matters to me. Besides... Vic will be in the audience watching me."

"And it come down to the real reason," Toni grinned. "Why didn't you say so? Perfect outfit here we come!" Toni's stomach growled. "Perfect outfit will have to wait! I have a serious case of the munchies."

Toni ran out of her closet and to the mini refrigerator in her room. Toni took out a vanilla pudding cup and ripped off the lid, devouring the pudding in a matter of seconds.

Karen rose a brow.

Toni looked at her innocently. "What?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you are a weird person?"

"Constantly," Toni replied coolly, she held out a pudding cup. "Pudding cup?"

"No thanks," Karen said, standing by Toni's open window. "Toni... did you notice anything weird about Vic today?"

"Not really. Why?"

"He just seemed really different today. He was jumpy this morning, he kept drifting off in class and he was really quiet during lunch."

"You think he's hiding something? If you want we can find out if he is. I'll get my people, and by my people I really mean Carl's people."

"That won't be necessary. Besides, I'm sure I'm just overreacting," Karen said, assuring herself. "Vic would never hide something from me."

Toni could see that Karen was becoming apprehensive, so she decided to change the subject. "So, have you decided on a song yet?"

"Huh... Oh, yeah, I did."

"Well... what song are you going to sing?"

"Okay, this is gonna sound corny but I've decided to sing a love song dedicated to Vic."

"Cool! Which song?"

"We belong together by Mariah Carey."

Toni nodded her head in approval. "Nice."

"You know what would be even more nice?"

"What?"

"If we could find an outfit for me to wear."

"Oh... right. Okay, let's...," Toni paused, a fearful expression on her face. She quickly ran to the other side of the room. "Karen, quick! Get the bat under my bed!"

"What? Why?"

Toni pointed a shaky finger at the window frame.

Karen rose a brow once she saw what Toni was pointing at. "It's a bee."

"I know that!"

"So then what's the problem?"

"Bees just freak me out okay," Toni snapped. "I hate bees okay! They're like flying death monkeys!"

"It's not a big deal," Karen said absently, waving her hands at the bee. It flew around a bit before leaving. Karen then closed the window. "There. Better?"

Toni's mouth was agape. "You... you got rid of it. Weren't you scared?"

"Of a bee," Karen chuckled. "Please. They're not so bad as long as you leave them alone. Besides, I like their strips."

"Bees and strips huh... That gives me an idea," Toni grabbed Karen's hand and pulled her to the closet. "Come with me."

TT

The day for the talent show had finally arrived. Families, friends, students, and staff had all gathered into the auditorium. Currently, there was a slight murmur amongst the crowd. A boy with curly red hair and freckles was on stage. He was juggling six balls. He was making the crowd restless, seeing as how he had been on stage for six minutes already and counting.

Then, suddenly, one of the balls fell. After that the whole act came to an abrupt end.

The boy smiled sheepishly. "Ta-da!"

Gar and Wally did a standing ovation. They began to cheer so loudly that it embarrassed Jenn, who was sitting in the middle of the two boys. She grabbed both boys by their ears and pulled them back down in their seats.

Mr. Mumbo walked on to the stage, clapping his hands. He was dressed in a magicians outfit. Mr. Mumbo stood in the middle of the stage and pulled out a microphone from his sleeve. "Thank you, Franklin, for that splendid performance! Next up we have..."

The rest of Mr. Mumbo's words went unheard to Karen. She was backstage, silently mouthing the words to the song she was going to sing. Mal was by her side, plucking the strings on his guitar.

Karen took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror. She had to admit, when it came to fashion Toni had her beat hands down. Toni was the mastermind behind Karen's look for the talent show. Karen was wearing what Toni called "The Bumblebee" look.

After the bee incident, or rather flying death monkeys (as called by Toni), Toni came up with the perfect outfit for Karen. Karen was wearing a yellow and black sleeveless striped shirt that exposed her belly. She also wore a matching jean set, it included black jeans and a black vest. Along with this, Karen also had black, high heeled boots. The finishing touches to the outfit included yellow bracelets on each arm, yellow earrings and a yellow belt.

Karen glanced in the mirror. She ran her fingers through her hair. Not only did Toni pick out Karen's outfit, she also did her hair. Normally Karen had her hair in two puffy buns, but not today. Today her hair was down with a slight wave to it.

"You look fantastic."

Karen turned around and smiled brightly. "Vic," she threw her arms around him in a hug. "What are you doing back here?"

"Well, it's not so hard to get past Mr. Mumbo. Besides, I wanted to give you these," Vic pulled out a bouquet of roses of all colors. He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "That, and I wanted to wish you good luck. Though I know you don't need it."

"Vic, thank you so much," Karen said happily. "You're the best boyfriend ever."

Vic chuckled sheepishly. "I try."

"Hey, now that you're here I want you to meet somebody," Karen turned her head to the side. "Mal, can you come over here for a sec?"

Upon hearing Karen's voice Mal instantly came to her side. He hoped she wasn't getting second thoughts about the talent show. "What's up, Karen? You need something?"

"No. I just wanted to introduce you to my boyfriend. Vic, this is Mal. Mal, this is Vic."

Both boys shook hands.

"What's up."

"Hey man."

"So, uh, Vic," Mal began. "Karen tells me you're on the football team."

"Yeah. Coach says I'm one of the best. That's a nice guitar you got there."

"Thanks. My brother gave it to me."

"So you're in the talent show too?"

"I was planning to join in but had a change of heart. So I'm going to be the music behind Karen's lovely singing."

"Cool," Vic turned to Karen. "I should probably get back to my seat before Mr. Mumbo finds me here. I'll see you when the show is over."

"Alright." Karen leaned in to give Vic a kiss on the lips but he turned his head, making her lips land on his cheek.

"It was nice meeting you, Mal." Vic said before turning away. He left in a rush and was gone in a matter of seconds.

Karen furrowed her brows, contemplating. Why did Vic abruptly turn his head when she was about to kiss him? He never did that before. Perhaps it had something to do with him acting weird.

"Karen, what a surprise."

Karen groaned and slapped her forehead. She knew that irritating voice anywhere. Karen turned around, her eyes weary. "Kitten, I didn't know you were in the talent show."

"How could you not? I'm full of talent." Kitten responded, a grin on her face.

Karen rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in the process. "Uh-huh."

"But anyway, I'm really shocked to see you here. I mean, after everything Vic did, I thought you would have dropped out," Kitten was laying the bait. All she needed now was for Karen to fall into her trap. Kitten had to stop herself from laughing. Making peoples lives miserable was so exhilarating, too bad it wasn't a technical talent. "I mean, if it was me, I wouldn't have the strength to go on stage."

"What are you talking about? What did Vic do?"

Kitten smirked. Karen had taken the bait, just like she predicted.

"You mean he didn't tell you," Kitten placed a hand on Karen's shoulder. "I hate to be the one to tell you this but, Karen, Vic cheated on you."

Karen immediately slapped Kitten's hand away, glaring at the girl clad in pink. "You lying bitch! Vic would never cheat on me, he's not that sort of guy."

"Really, because that's not what I heard."

As much as she didn't want to listen, Karen couldn't resist. "What did you hear?"

"Your boyfriend hooked up with that senior chick. What's her name again...," Kitten tapped her chin, loving every moment of torture she was inflicting upon Karen. "Oh, I remember now! Her name was Sara Cimms."

Karen shook her head, a look of disbelief on her face. "You're lying. Vic would never... You're just doing this to mess with me."

"Am I, Karen," Kitten responded boldly. "You know the first sign of a cheating boyfriend is strange behavior. Vic wouldn't happen to be acting strangely as of lately would he?"

Karen bit her lip.

Kitten smirked. "Thought so."

"... and our next performer is Kitten Moth. Tonight, Kitten will grace our presence with a ballet dance," announced Mr. Mumbo. "Kitten, please come on stage."

"Well it looks like I'm up. Good luck to you, Karen," Kittten said, the smirk on her face expanding as she walked on to stage. "You'll need it now."

Karen took in a shaky breath, her fist trembling. She knew Kitten was a liar, she knew she shouldn't trust her, but... was it possible that she was telling the truth? Karen knew she shouldn't doubt Vic over something that Kitten told her, but Kitten's words really struck a cord.

_"The first sign of a cheating boyfriend is strange behavior. Vic wouldn't happen to be acting strangely as of lately would he?"_

Perhaps she was thinking about it too much, but Karen couldn't stop her thoughts from dwelling on to Vic's most recent behavior. Him missing a date and him avoiding a kiss. Was it possible that there was some truth to Kitten's words?

_"Your boyfriend hooked up with that senior chick... Sara Cimms."_

The day Karen first met Sara, Sara had requested to speak to Vic privately. She said it was had to do something with tutoring, but when Vic returned he appeared to be almost flustered.

So many clues were leading Karen to think the worst. She was beginning to become uncertain, and with that uncertainty came a troubled mind. Maybe if she walked around a bit that would clear her head.

Karen began to make her way towards the door. This caught Mal's attention.

"Karen, where are you going?"

"To the bathroom. I won't be long."

With that said Karen left the backstage and traveled down the halls. She would go to the bathroom, throw some water on her face, and then everything would be fine. She would come to her senses and realize that Kitten only wanted to stir up trouble. That was what Kitten was best at, making trouble.

As Karen rounded the corner, she heard voices. One of the voices was especially familiar to her.

"Vic," Karen murmured quietly. Karen paused, Vic seemed upset by the tone of his voice. What was going on? As quietly as she could Karen stepped closer to the corner, her body pushed against the wall. She took a peek to see who was on the other side. Sure enough Vic was there, but the person he was with made her fearful, fearful that the words Kitten spoke were indeed true. "Sara."

Karen decided to listen to the conversation the two were having. She felt that it was the only way to confirm whether or not Kitten had been lying or telling the truth.

"... Vic, please. Just calm down." Sara pleaded.

"Dammit, Sara, I can't! I just can't," Vic replied miserably. "Tonight is Karen's night and I should be with her, but instead I'm here with you."

"I know you feel guilty about what you did, and I know that you don't want to talk about this, but I am tired of you avoiding me!"

"I know this is a burden on you, Sara, but I can't just make a decision with the snap of my fingers."

"Then let me help you make your decision." Sara said, catching Vic off guard. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him forward, her lips crashing on to his in a fierce kiss.

To Karen's shock and dismay, Vic returned the kiss with just as much passion.

Karen bit her lip, trying desperately to contain a sniffle. She failed miserably and fled. She had seen enough to know that Kitten was right.

Vic broke the kiss upon hearing the clicks of heels. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Vic walked to the corner and looked around. He could have sworn that he heard something... He looked at the floor and his eyes went wide.

Right next to his feet was a yellow bracelet, much like the one Karen was wearing.

TT

Kitten spun around in an elegant circle. Her ballet performance was going smoothly and it was time that she drew it to a close. Kitten prepared herself for her final move, a simple jump and pose technique.

Kitten launched herself forward. Her feet hit the floor, completing the jump. Unfortunately for her, she lost her balance while doing the pose. Her body leaned forward and she lost her footing. Kitten shrieked as she fell.

The whole auditorium gasped. Shocked faces, wide eyes and agape mouths covered the faces of the audience.

Kitten had fallen off the stage.

"My leg!" Kitten wailed, tears streaming down her face. She clutched her leg, the pain seemed unbearable.

"Kitten!" Kitten's parents quickly ran out of their seats and to their daughter.

Mr. Mumbo quickly went on stage and tried to ease the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, a minor accident has occurs. Please bear with us as we--"

"MY LEG!" Kitten continued to weep and the audience began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Dude, I think her leg is broken." Alain whispered to Roy.

"Looks like it."

"Ha," Jade couldn't help but smirk. "She had it coming."

"And here I thought talent shows were boring," Raven smirked. "Looks like I was wrong."

"I guess what they say is true," Dick whispered to Kori. "Karma is a bitch."

Kori could only giggle. Normally if something like this was to happen she would feel bad for the person. But this was Kitten, and Kitten was a monster.

"Way to bust your ass, Kitten!" Gar shouted.

Toni, Wally and Jenn began to laugh uncontrollably.

Far away from Kori and the others sat Mandy and Cindy.

Cindy was at the edge of her seat in worry. "Do you think Kitten is okay?"

"Don't know," Mandy flipped to the next page in her magazine, her tone dry and uncaring. "Don't care."

TT

Karen sat in a dark and empty classroom, hugging her knees to her chest and rocking back in forth. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she kept repeating the same words to herself.

"Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry," Karen released a sob and the tears came spilling down her cheeks. She couldn't stop after that. She buried her face in her hands. "Dammit."

Karen felt as if her heart was crumpling into a thousand pieces.

Her mind couldn't comprehend when her relationship with Vic hit a bump in the road. Had she done something wrong? Was it her fault? Did she push Vic into the hands of another girl? These questions and more floated inside Karen's head. With each question she asked herself she could feel her heart breaking. She just didn't know why, why would Vic cheat on her? What did she do to deserve this? So many questions and no answers.

None of it made any sense. Her and Vic had always walked along the right path together, rarely ever hitting a bump. Sure they had their fights, what couple doesn't, but them fighting was a rare sight. Their fights never even lasted that long. What could have happened that would make Vic turn against their love?

Finally, Karen had found an answer to one of her questions.

Sara Cimms happened.

Karen could feel the rage bubble within her just by thinking of Sara. That senior skank was the reason why her heart was chipping away into a pool of dread. That man stealer couldn't find a man of her own so she had to take Vic. Karen was disgusted that she even shook her hand. Had she known that the girl was aiming for her boyfriend she would have greeted Sara with her fist instead.

Then there was Vic. Her knight in shining armor, or so she thought. He was no better than Sara. He didn't have to kiss her back in the hallway, but he did. He cheated, and lord only knows how many times he lied to her face so far.

Karen felt utterly pathetic.

Today was her night to shine and instead she was in an empty classroom crying her heart out. It wasn't supposed to be this way. She was strong and fierce. She had to bounce back from this. Every time one of her friends were faced with something horrible they bounced back. Dick had over come his driving problem. Roy had beat his drug addiction. Kori had survived being shot. Raven had moved past being beaten by her father. Each one of them had dealt with something horrible and lived to tell the tale. Now it was her turn. She had to move past the heart ache and over come her problems.

Karen stood up, wiping away her tears. She had to be strong like her friends. Karen took a deep intake of breath and left the classroom. She would go back to the backstage, wait her turn, and sing her heart out the way Mal taught her.

As Karen made her way to the backstage, taking her time so she could clear her emotions. As she neared the door to the backstage she saw someone standing there. But not just anyone...

Vic.

Upon seeing Karen Vic straightened. "Karen, please let me explain."

"There's nothing to explain, Vic." Karen replied briskly, the glare on her face becoming more fierce.

"I know you saw me with Sara," Vic began as he took out Karen's bracelet from his pocket. "I want you to understand--"

"Understand what, Vic," Karen shouted, her temper flaring like wildfire as she snatched her bracelet back. "Understand the fact that you made me look like a fool! Did you get a kick out of seeing me compliment you and think highly of your... your slut?!"

"Sara is not a slut!"

"Well you could have fooled me. And how dare you defend her!"

"Look, I didn't plan on me and Sara kissing in the hall. It was an accident."

"But you hooking up with her wasn't an accident."

"Who told you that I slept with Sara?"

Karen's eyes went wide in shock. "You... you slept with her?"

Vic instantly realized his mistake, but there was no turning back now. The truth had been exposed. "Yes, I did."

Karen felt as if the breath had been knocked right out of her. "Kitten told me that you hooked up with her. I thought that meant you just kissed her. I can't believe you slept with her."

Karen could feel the tears coming to her eyes. She knew Vic had cheated, but it was a complete shock to her to learn that he slept with Sara. They had been dating for years and he threw it all away to sleep with that girl, a girl he had only known for less than a month.

"You.. you bastard," Karen murmured. She turned to him, and expression of both anger and hurt on her face. "You fucking bastard! How could you do this to me? How?! I'm such an idiot.. I can't believe Kitten was right."

Vic, though puzzled about how Kitten found out about his secret, decided to ignore that information. Karen looked as if she was having a complete meltdown right now.

"Karen, please don't cry."

"Don't fucking tell me what to do," Karen shouted, drying her tears. "You cheating liar, you could care less about my feelings!"

"That's not true. I still love you."

"If you love me then why did you cheat on me?"

Vic paused before answering. "Because... I have feelings for Sara."

"Well I hope you and Sara have a very nice future together." Karen said, turning and heading towards the door.

Vic grabbed her hand. "Karen, please. I don't want us to end like this."

Karen turned around and slapped Vic in the face, hard. She glared at him, her eyes cold. "Read my lips Victor Stone. We. Are. Over."

With that said Karen walked through the door leading to the backstage, leaving Vic by himself.

As she entered the backstage Karen wiped away her tears. She wasn't going to let her problems interfere with her performance tonight. She entered this talent show to win it. She spotted Mal by the steps leading to the stage.

"Mal."

Mal sighed in relief at the sight of Karen. "Finally. I thought you... Karen, is something the matter? You look like--"

"I'm fine," Karen cut him off. She refused to let thoughts about Vic and Sara bring her down more than she already was. "Mal, I want to sing a different song."

"What?"

"... and our next performer is a girl with a lot of spunk," announced Mr. Mumbo. "Give it up for Karen Beecher! And uh, her friend on the guitar who doesn't really matter. Come on our, Karen!"

"Karen, are you sure?" Mal asked. He was worried about Karen's decision to change the song at the last minute.

"I'm sure." Karen responded with a serious tone as they stepped on to the stage.

Mal stood behind her, guitar ready. Karen nodded at him and took the microphone.

_"I'm having a day from hell_

_It was all going so well before you came_

_And you told me you needed space_

_With a kiss on the side of my face, not again_

_And not to mention the tears I shed_

_But I should've kicked your ass instead_

_I need intervention_

_Attention, stop temptation to scream_

This morning when Karen awoke from bed she had a vision of the perfect day, and at first it was all going so well. None of the teachers had assigned homework and she was more than ready for the talent show. She had no doubt in her mind that she would win it and that her friends would be there to cheer her on.

But then that vision was shred to pieces when she saw Vic and Sara kissing. It hurt like hell and Karen felt as if her life had just been flushed down the toilet. She was heart broken and all she could do was cry. Crying wasn't something that Karen did too often. She had other ways of releasing her emotions, violent ways.

Vic was lucky he only got slapped in the face.

_"'Cause baby everything is left up straight from the heart_

_Tell me, what do you do when it all falls apart?_

_Gotta pick myself up, where do I start?_

_'Cause I can't turn to you when it all falls apart, no, ohh_

_Don't know where I parked my car_

_Don't know who my real friends are, anymore_

_I put my faith in you_

_What a stupid thing to do, when it rains it pours_

Karen had put her complete trust in Vic, and he turned around and threw it back in her face. It was a moment like these she wished she would have listened to her father. Her father had always told her from a young age that boys were bad. Maybe her father was right...

_"And not to mention, I drank too much_

_I'm feelin' hungover, out of touch_

_I need intervention_

_Attention, stop temptation to scream_

_'Cause baby, everything is left up straight from the heart_

_Tell me what do you do when it all falls apart?_

_Gotta pick myself up, where do I start?_

_'Cause I can't turn to you when it all falls apart, no, ohh_

Karen recalled the first day she met Vic. From the moment she met him there had always been a feeling of affection within her just for him. He really did grow on her, and before she knew it she had begun to depend on him just like Dick, Gar, Kori and Raven did. He was a rock, but also very thoughtful and caring.

When they got together she realized that she had depended on him a lot more. He was always there. But after what happened today, Karen knew she wouldn't be able to turn to him to help her, after all, he broke her heart. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to turn to him ever again.

_"Can't it be easier? Can I just change my life?_

_'Cause it just seems to go bad Every time_

_Will I be mended_

_Another one ending once again_

_Everything is left up straight from the heart_

_Tell me, what do you do when it all falls apart?_

_Gotta pick myself up, where do I start?_

_'Cause I can't turn to you when it all falls apart, no, ohh_

Karen wished Vic didn't cheat on her, but the fact was that he did. She wished they were still together, and that he never met Sara. She wished things were different. But the cold truth was that things weren't different. He did meet Sara, he did cheat, and they weren't together anymore.

Karen felt lost inside. She didn't have a clue what to do after this whole thing was over. How would her and Vic react to each other from now on? Would she ever be able to heal her broken heart?

Karen didn't know the answers to these questions, but one thing was for sure. Karen Beecher was a fighter. She would pick herself up and move on. How? She didn't know. All she knew was that she refused to fall and stay down.

_"Everything is left up straight from the heart_

_Tell me, what do you do when it all falls apart?_

_Gotta pick myself up, where do I start?_

_'Cause I can't turn to you when it all falls apart, no, ohh..."_

Karen's act came to a close and the crowd instantly began to cheer. Karen look out into the crowd and spotted her friends and family. They were all standing and cheering for her. Karen was about to smile but someone caught her eyes. With a pitiful expression on his face was Vic. He looked at her with sad eyes, as if asking for forgiveness.

Karen looked away.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO Nightstar Grayson, Hidden Iris, raeXXstarry, RavenSis, Trimacle, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, ravencherithgirl, StarReader86, Ace.04, BerryDrops, jcyz, Affinitive, mysteree101, cookiesruletheworld, TerraBB4Eva, Among The Betrayed, cookiegurl15, Agent of the Divine One, xxScriblezxx, featherpen13 AND Lizzy FOR ALL OF THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. I CAN'T THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT. I HOPED EVERYONE LIKED THIS CHAPTER. ALSO, YOU CAN THANK imcalledkitty, FOR SHE WAS THE ONE TO GIVE ME THE IDEA OF KITTEN BREAKING HER LEG.**

**ARTIST: THE VERONICAS**

**ALBUM: SECRET LIKE OF...**

**SONG: WHEN IT ALL FALLS APART**

**NEXT CHAPTER: THE BREAKUP OF VIC AND KAREN BEGINS TO TEAR THE GROUP APART. WILL THIS BE THE END OF FRIENDSHIP AND EVEN SOME RELATIONSHIPS?**

**REVIEW**

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	19. When it all falls apart part 2

Karen gazed sorrowfully at her first place trophy.

The night of the talent show was definitely a night she would remember. It had been her first time in a competition that allowed her to show off her singing skills. Karen thought for sure, due to prior events, that she was going to fail miserably and lose, but as it turns out she managed to pull it off. The audience applauded her, and after a couple of more acts from other contestants, the judges had announced her as the winner.

It was a complete shock to her that she had won. She couldn't believe it. Karen thought she had heard wrong, but once Mal gave her a small push she realized that she had indeed won the talent show.

After the announcement of her win Karen was greeted backstage by all of her friends. She was consumed in a group hug and compliments were thrown at her from all directions. Everyone had come to congratulate her on her win.

Everyone but Vic.

Dick was quick to notice his friend's absence and had pointed it out.

That's when the others began to realize that he never returned to his seat when he left to give Karen her flowers. That's when all eyes turned to Karen and the questions began to roll out. That's when Karen told them what happened. The whole truth, from start to finish. Everything had been laid out in the open for the others to absorb. And after that Karen left, leaving the others behind.

Karen had went home, closed the door behind her, and cried. She cried because she had lost Vic. She had lost him to another girl.

Karen sighed to herself. It was Sunday now, and the events of the talent show had taken place on Friday. Tomorrow was a school day.

Karen was worried. She hadn't seen nor spoken to Vic since Friday. Tomorrow she would have to face him. They had classes together and they sat at the same lunch table. Needless to say, Karen was not looking forward to tomorrow. Perhaps if she played sick... No, that wouldn't work. Both of her parents were doctors, they would be able to tell if she was faking. And a broken heart wasn't a technical sickness.

"Looks like I have no choice but to face him." Karen murmured to herself, rolling on to her side. She was laying on her bed not because she was tired, but because she didn't feel like doing anything. She was too depressed.

Karen's eyes gazed over to the pictures on her bookshelf. One of the pictures was a photo of her first date with Vic. The one next to it showed her and Vic hugging. The next one was Vic by his car.

Karen never realized how many photos she had that included Vic.

Karen got up and began to remove any pictures that had Vic in them. Anything Vic ever gave her, or anything that was related to a memory she shared with Vic was removed.

By the time she was done, almost half of the things in Karen's room was gathered into one big pile. Karen grabbed a box and carefully began to put, what she called "The Vic pile", away in the box.

As much as she hated him at the moment, Karen couldn't bring herself to throw anything away. Everything in the pile was a special moment, a precious memory, in the form of an object. She didn't have the heart to throw anything away.

Karen placed a lid on the box and placed the box in the deepest part of her closet. For now, all of those precious moments would be locked away until she was officially ready to move past all of the hurt and all of the pain.

Karen scoffed. Who knows how long that would take.

TT

It was Monday, and currently at Jump City High School it was lunch time for a select few of students. Some of those students just so happened to be juniors. Dick, Kori, Gar, Raven, Roy, Jade, Wally, Jenn, Toni, Alain and Karen were all at their usual table. Currently, Karen had a big smile on her face as she greeted some students who liked her performance. As the students turned away Karen sighed in bliss.

"Isn't this wonderful? Random people have been coming up to me and saying how great I was on stage," Karen chuckled and took a spoonful of her lunch. "It doesn't get much better than this."

"Yeah, Karen," Toni chuckled sheepishly, not understanding Karen's happy mood at all. "You're on your way to stardom."

The others looked at each other and then at Karen. Was it possible that Karen had already moved past her break-up? No, that wasn't it. She was probably just putting on a fake smile. Before anyone could question it, Vic showed up at the table.

Awkward silence arrived when he showed up.

"Hey guys," Vic greeted. "How's it going?"

"Uh... it's going... it's going good." Roy answered lamely. Alain slapped his forehead and shook his head at the response.

"Take a seat buddy," Gar said, patting the empty seat besides him. "It's everyone's favorite subject of the day, lunch."

"I can't. I promise to go meet Sara...," Vic paused, eyeing Karen in concern. She flinched at the mention of Sara, but other than that she seemed unfazed. Vic continued. "So, uh, Sara and I were talking and... she wants to meet you guys."

Karen looked up at this, eyes slightly narrowed. Without saying anything she suddenly stood up and left the table.

"Karen, where are you going?" Kori asked, abruptly standing up, ready to leave the table too.

"I'm just going to go... walk around. I'll see you all later."

"I'll come with you."

"No... that's fine," Karen forced a smile. "You stay, enjoy your lunch. I'll see you later."

Kori frowned and sat back down in her seat.

Vic sighed. "I should get going. I don't want to keep Sara waiting. Let me know when you guys are ready to meet her."

With that said Vic took his leave.

"Okay," Jenn waited until Vic left the table and was out of earshot. "Can you believe him? That was so messed up. Someone moved on quickly."

"Well what do you expect? Karen broke up with him," pointed out Wally. "What is he supposed to do, sit around and wait? So he's dating Sara now, big deal."

"I don't care if he's dating Sara," began Toni angrily. "But that doesn't give him the right to rub it in her face. Poor Karen, she must really be suffering right now... Ugh, Vic is such a jerk!"

"I wouldn't worry about it. Karen is a strong girl, has been since the day I met her," Raven said. "And what Vic did was wrong, but I'm happy that he's met a mature girl."

"So wait," Toni narrowed her eyes a bit. "You're on his side?"

"I guess, basically."

"But Karen's hurt. And Vic..."

"I've known Karen and Vic a lot longer than you, Toni. Trust me when I say this is not a big deal."

"Oh, so what, since I'm the newbie that means I don't know anything."

"I didn't say that."

"That's the way you make it sound!"

"Whatever," Raven responded dryly. "I'm out. See you guys later."

Raven left the table, unaware that Toni was burning a hole through her back.

"That little... ugh!"

"I'm sure Raven didn't mean any offense by what she said, Toni," Alain said softly, placing a hand on Toni's shoulder. "And for what it's worth, I agree with you about the whole Vic and Karen thing. Vic is still my friend, but what he did to Karen... that's just horrible."

"I don't see what the big deal is," Roy said coolly, leaning back a bit. "So Vic and Karen broke up. Lot's of people break up."

Jade glared at her boyfriend. "You jerk."

"What's that look for? What I do?"

"Don't you care at all that Karen's feelings are hurt?"

"Of course I do. Karen's my friend. But my point is that shit like this happens. Karen will move on. We all know Vic did."

Jade rolled her eyes. If she had to listen to another second of Roy's insensitive remarks, lord help him. "What do you think, Dick?"

"Huh?"

Jenn rolled her eyes. "She said, what do you think. You know, about Karen and Vic. What's your opinion?"

"Well I can't really judge Vic. I used to cheat on girls all the time."

Kori glared at him and punched him the arm.

"Ow! What? It's not like I cheated on you!"

"So you approve of Vic's behavior?" Toni asked.

"Like I said before, I can't judge him for cheating--"

"So then you're on Vic's side." Jade claimed.

"No."

"So then you're on Karen's side." Jenn said.

"I didn't say that."

"Maybe we should calm down." Kori tried to ease the tension.

"Maybe some people in this table should stop acting like jerks." Jade snapped.

"Maybe some people should just calm down." Roy mumbled.

"Oh you know what," Jade said, standing up. "I need to get away from testosterone filled morons."

"I'm with you, Jade," said Jenn. "Let's go."

"Now wait a second," began Kori. "Can't we just--"

"You know what, leave, see if we care," Roy responded. "You chicks are acting like you're on your periods."

"Yeah!" Wally shouted. Jenn glared at him and he hid behind Roy.

"Whatever, we're leaving," Toni replied. "Come on, Alain."

Jade, Jenn and Toni all left the table, with Alain following not that far behind.

"Wait, don't leave," Kori shouted to the departing group. "We can talk about this."

"I'm out," Roy murmured. "Let's go, Wally. Dick, you're coming with us."

"But... I'm not done with my lunch."

Roy ignored Dick and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, pulling him along.

"Oh no, guys please..." Kori's plead went unnoticed and she sat back down in her seat, a heavy sigh leaving her lips.

"That didn't go good." Gar murmured sadly.

"Cheer up, Gar," Kori insisted. "Just because we're apart now doesn't mean that we won't pull together. We always do, this time will be no different."

"I don't know, Kori. Everyone is pretty mad at each other."

"Don't worry, I already have a plan. You see, we have to hit this beast at the heart--"

"So Kitten's the heart."

"No, Vic and Karen are. But hitting Kitten doesn't sound so bad," Kori smiled at the thought but shook her head. She needed to focus. "You see, everyone is fighting because of what happened with Vic and Karen. If those two settle their dispute I'm sure things will go back to normal."

"But how do you plan to get Vic and Karen to do anything together?"

"I'm not sure. But I promise I'll figure something out."

Gar leaned his head on Kori's shoulder. "Thanks, Kori."

"Thanks for what? I haven't done anything yet."

"Just thanks." Gar murmured. He knew if anyone could stop this feud, it would be Kori.

TT

Kitten felt like she was on top of the world. It was her lunch period, and she felt ecstatic. Not far from her table was Kori's table...

At first, Kitten had been adsorbed with the people who kept coming to her table. Almost the whole school had seen her fall off stage and now most of them were coming to check in on her well being. Being a powerful figure in school may not haven given her respect, but it did give her a lot of suck-ups who brought her flowers.

She was thrilled to have talking with this one cute boy, but then she couldn't help but over hear the conversation erupting from Kori's table.

Kitten sent the boy away immediately so she wouldn't be distracted and miss any details.

She, along with other students who were having lunch, had heard most of the conversation and saw how the group disassembled from each other.

Kitten could care less about her wounded leg at the moment, or the people who were offering her attention. Kori Anders and her friends were having a feud.

At the moment when people started to leave Kori's table, Kitten's face wore a smile. She was delighted to see the group fall apart right before her very eyes.

"Oh this is just too good," Kitten told Cindy and Mandy. "I love school!"

TT

As soon as school was over Kori had headed over to Karen's house. Kori had promised Gar that she would do whatever it took to get everyone on a friendly basis with each other, and Kori planned to keep her promise. She hated it when her friends fought so she wanted everything to go back to normal just as much as Gar did.

Currently, Kori was with Karen in Karen's room. The two were sharing a carton of ice cream and sitting on Karen's bed. The two were sharing a nice conversation too, but then Kori had mentioned Vic, sending Karen into a ranting mode.

"I mean, can you believe him? We haven't even been separate for a week and he's already dating her! How would he like it if I went out and found myself a new boyfriend," Karen shouted in a rage. "I'll tell you, he wouldn't like. He has absolutely no remorse. That no good son-of-a-bitch!"

"Karen, please," pleaded Kori. "Just calm down. I know what Vic did was horrible but you need to move past this."

"I have moved past this. Just look around herself, Kori. Not a trace of Vic in my room."

"Taking down pictures and putting them away isn't exactly dealing with it, Karen."

"Well it makes me feel better."

"Karen, I know you're hurting. Don't try and hide it."

"What are you, the love police," Karen snapped. She sighed, suddenly feeling ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry, Kori... I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm just so frustrated right now, you know."

Kori moved the ice cream and placed it on Karen's desk. She then scooted closer to Karen and pulled the girl into a hug.

Karen could feel tears coming to her eyes and she could feel her heart ready to burst. She couldn't withhold her emotions, especially from Kori.

"I just don't understand why he did it," Karen confessed, frustrated. "What does she have that I don't? Is it because she's pretty? Is that why Vic cheated?"

"You know how guys can be. They see a pretty girl and they become a puddle of drool. But I seriously doubt that's why he did it. You're beautiful, Karen, so that can't be the reason."

"So then what reason can there be?"

"I'm sorry but I don't know the answer to that question. The only person who can answer that question for you is Vic," Kori replied. "You need to speak to Vic."

Karen stood up abruptly, pacing back and forth. "I can't do that, Kori. Vic hurt me way too much and... I'm not ready."

"I know how you feel, believe me I do. Remember when we were sophomores and I confessed to Dick that I wanted to be with him, and then he blew me off for Kitten. I was in so much pain and I was so angry. I never wanted to see Dick again, but I faced him anyway."

"But that's only because he gave you no other choice--"

"I had a choice whether or not to listen to him. I could have thrown him out or fought him, but I didn't. I stood there and I let him explain."

"But that's different. You and Dick aren't like Vic and I."

"That may be true, but that doesn't change the fact that I listened when Dick came. If I hadn't than who knows what our relationship would be like now."

Karen crossed her arms. "Why should I even attempt to talk to him after everything that's he's done to me?"

"Because deep down inside you don't want to lose Vic as a friend. And if you two continue to ignore each other that's exactly what's going to happen."

Karen said nothing and walked over to her bedroom door, opening it.

Kori looked at her with a perplexed expression. "Karen?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way, Kori... but I need to be alone right now."

Kori nodded her head, standing up. "I understand. If you need anything just call."

Karen nodded her head. Once Kori walked out Karen closed the door behind her. Kori sighed, her plan wasn't exactly going the way she would have liked.

TT

Wally walked into the pizzeria, turning his head left and right in search for a girl with pink hair. Far in the corner, he spotted his girl. Wally quickly made his way over to the both that Jenn was sitting at and took a seat.

"Hey, I got your message," Wally said once he was comfortable. "What's so urgent that we had to meet face to face?"

Jenn folded and unfolded her hands, a look of worry on her face. She sighed, it was best to say what she wanted to say and get this over with. "Listen, this whole thing with Karen and Vic has got me thinking--"

"Are you mad that I took Vic's side? Because if you are let me just say that us boys have got to stick together. It's like the law."

"That wasn't what I wanted to say," Jenn crossed her arms. "And if that's true then how come Alain is on Karen's side?"

"Because Alain is weird."

"Okay, I don't want to start with you. We need to talk and it's serious."

Wally silenced himself. If Jenn said it was serious, than it would be best for him to behave, meaning all jokes aside. He had to admit, he wasn't looking forward to a serious conversation. A serious conversation always worried him.

"Ever since Vic and Karen's break-up I've been thinking a lot about us."

Wally could feel himself becoming nervous.

"I've always thought about how Vic and Karen were like the model couple. I thought they were going to be together forever. Them breaking up was like a big wake up call for me," Jenn paused, looking at Wally. She expected him to say something but he looked completely stiff. Jenn sighed and continued. "I was thinking, if a couple like them could break up, then what's the chances of a couple like us staying together?"

This caught Wally's attention. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that maybe we should... slow down."

Wally's breath caught in his throat. "You're... you're breaking up with me?"

"No," Jenn sighed and rubbed her temples. "I just think that we've been moving too fast, getting too serious."

"What's wrong about being serious about each other? We love each other," Wally paused. "You still do love me right?"

"Of course I do. But I'm just trying to be careful because I love you. I don't want what happened to Vic and Karen to happen to us."

"What happened with Vic and Karen will never happen to us."

"How can I be so sure about that? I mean, haven't you ever noticed how that girl Linda from science class looks at you?"

"I never even pay attention to the girl. My eyes are always focused on you or the clock," Wally narrowed his eyes. "And if anyone should be worried here it should be me. That kid Seemore has the hots for you, I just know he does."

Jenn sighed. This conversation was beginning to get off topic. "We're not here to talk about Linda or Seemore... Let's get back on track shall we."

"I don't even understand why we're here. Why are we talking about shit that's not gonna happen?"

"Because it can happen," Jenn snapped. She felt so frustrated with Wally at the moment. Why couldn't he just understand that she was worried and scared about losing him. "Gosh, you can be so dense at times. You're hopeless."

"And you're a... bitch."

Jenn's eyes went wide. The only time Wally ever spoke to her like that was back when they were freshman, and that was when they hated each other.

The two were consumed in silence.

"... I have to go." Jenn said suddenly, quickly leaving the pizzeria.

Wally didn't make any attempt to stop her. He buried his head in his hands, feeling like a total idiot.

TT

Toni, Alain, Raven, Dick and Gar had all gone to the mall after school ended. It was Gar's idea for them to go together. He wanted to help Kori anyway he can and get the group back together, so he made a little plan of his own. He would take some of his friends, show them a good time, and hopefully that would be enough to get them to stop arguing.

"Alrightie, so what do you guys want to do first," Gar asked. "We can go see a movie or go to the food court. Whatever you guys want to do is fine by me."

"Well except me of course," said Toni. "Cause after all, I haven't know you guys so long. That means my opinion doesn't even matter."

"Oh for crying out loud," Raven rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you're still upset about earlier."

"How can I not be? You treated me as if I didn't matter to the group."

"I never mean it like that. You're over reacting."

"No, you're over reacting!"

"Toni, I'm not going to waist my breath in a pointless argument," Raven turned around and began to walk away. "I'm going home."

"Wait," Gar cried desperately. "Don't go, Raven!"

"Hmpf," Toni crossed her arms, a frown on her face. "Let her go."

"But we're supposed to stay together," Gar murmured. So far his plan was off to a rocky start, not a good sign at all. He thought they getting together would make things better, instead it made things worse. Gar sighed. "This is harder than I thought..."

Suddenly a pair of cell phones began to ring. Gar turned his head to the side and looked at Alain and Toni. The ring tones were emitting from their pockets. The couple pulled their cell phones out at the same time.

"Hello?" was the first thing that came from both Alain and Toni's mouths.

"Whoa, Wally, calm down and start at the beginning." Alain said softly.

Toni's eyes went wide. "He said what? What the hell is wrong with these boys today!"

A few seconds passed by and both Alain and Toni shut their phones. They looked at Gar and Dick.

"That was Jenn," said Toni. "She's really upset. I'm sorry, Gar, but I have to go."

"So do I," added Alain. "Wally said he and Jenn got into some sort of fight. He can really use a friend right now."

Gar sighed. "I understand. You guys go and make sure that they're okay."

"Thanks for understanding, Gar." responded Alain before leaving. Toni waved goodbye and left as well.

Gar shoved his hands into his pockets. So much for spending the day together to bond. His plan had pretty much just crashed and burned right before his very eyes.

"Some day this has been," Dick said dully. "Huh, Gar."

Gar groaned. "Some how I think it can only get worse."

TT

Dinner was quiet at Ollie's home. The only sound that could be heard was the clatter of silver wear. Ollie eyed both Roy and Jade. Ever since the two returned home they had this foul mood surrounding them. They were upset, that much was clear. And judging by how they were avoiding each other, they were clearly the cause of each others bad mood.

"So how was school?" Dinah asked, a wide smile on her face. She was trying to make conversation and break the horrid tension that had settled at the dinner table.

"School could have gone better." Jade replied, taking a sip of her water.

"I've had better days," was Roy's response. "Ollie, can you pass the potatoes please."

"Why don't you ask Jade to do it?" Ollie inquired. Jade was closer to the potatoes than he was. Was Roy really that upset that he couldn't even show manners at the dinner table?

"I don't want to." Roy replied, glaring at Jade who sat across from him.

"Well I don't give a damn what you want. Jade is the mother of your child. Besides, what ever happened I'm pretty sure you started it."

"But, Ollie--"

"Don't 'but' me, Roy. Now either you can apologize and make up, or I can put a foot up your ass."

Roy lowered his head, mumbling under his breath. "Sorry, Jade."

Jade smirked. "Thank you, Ollie."

"You are most welcome."

Roy sighed. He was sour over Ollie taking Jade's side.

TT

Gar bounced his leg up and down. He was sitting in Kori's living room, waiting to talk to her about their friends. It had been two days since the incident at the lunch table and the group was still in disarray, much to Kitten's amusement who gloated whenever she got the chance. Gar was beginning to worry.

Kori walked into the room and sat down besides him. She handed him a cup of ice cream soda.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Kori said kindly before taking a sip of her tea.

"Wait a minute," Gar rose a brow. "Why are you drinking tea?"

"It's a small habit that I picked up from Raven."

"Where is Raven anyway? Shouldn't she be home?"

"She's out at some poetry thing." Kori answered.

"Oh." Gar shrugged and sipped at his drink.

Inside, Kori sighed in relief. Raven wasn't at any poetry reading, she was with Leon. But of course Kori couldn't tell Gar that. She was glad that be brought her lie.

"So how's your plan coming along?" Gar asked. He was curious as to why Kori's plan hadn't worked out yet.

"Not so good," Kori confessed sadly, putting down her cup of tea. "I've talked with Karen and she's still not ready to talk to Vic. I've also talked with Vic. He's willing to talk to Karen, but he doesn't want to upset Karen any more than she already is."

"What about the others?"

"Toni and Raven are still having a feud with each other, Roy and Jade are barely talking with each other, and Jenn and Wally are having some relationship problems."

"And how are you doing?"

"Truly... not so well. This whole thing is really beginning to take a toll on me," Kori immediately put a smile on her face. "But don't worry! I'm going to keep my promise."

Gar frowned. Kori was trying so hard and he felt useless. Gar clenched his fist. It was time for him to step up and take control. He couldn't let Kori do this by herself, he had to help her.

"Kori, I have an idea," Gar said. "But we need to make a few calls."

"Okay sure," Kori replied, taking out her cell phone. "But what exactly is your plan?"

"Let me worry about that." Gar answered with a wink.

TT

The doorbell rang and Kori opened the door. On the other side was Karen, Toni, Jade, Jenn and Alain.

"Hey guys," Kori greeted, a bright smile on her face as she stepped to the side. "Come on in. I have snacks in the living room."

"So what's the urgent emergency, Kori?" asked Karen.

"You'll see." Kori giggled.

Karen, Toni, Jenn, Jade and Alain stepped into the room. When they did, they were shocked to see who was already sitting there. Already comfortable on the living room was Vic, Roy, Wally, Dick, Raven and Gar.

"What the hell, Kori," snapped Toni. "I thought you said there would be snacks!" Jenn elbowed Toni in the ribs. "Ow-Oh! Yeah, and what are they doing here?"

"I live here." Raven pointed out indifferently.

"No one was asking you!"

"What's with the set up, Kori?" Jade inquired.

"Actually, I'm not the one who set you up," Kori said, stepping toward Gar and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Gar did."

Wally bursted out laughing, clutching his sides. "Yeah right! Gar tricked us into coming here. Nice joke, Kori."

"It's true, he did. And he has something to say. Go on, Gar." Kori gave her friend a little push forward.

"Right, um, okay," Gar began nervously. "Lately we've all been in this sort of fight and I think that if we all talk--"

"I'm not talking to him!"

"I'm not talking to her!"

Gar sighed. He wasn't the best speaker, but did they have to shoot down his idea before he even finished his sentence?

"Listen, Gar, we all know you mean well but I think this was a bad idea," Vic said, standing up. "I'm gonna go."

"Sit down, Vic." Gar commanded, his voice serious.

Vic glanced at Gar and raised a brow. "Listen here grass stain, I--"

"No, you listen," Gar shouted, glaring at everyone in the room minus Kori. "You all need to sit down, shut up, and listen to me. I have something I need to say and it's important."

The others did as they were told, slightly fearful of Gar's out burst. They never knew that the little guy could be so... threating. Once he was sure he had everyone's attention Gar continued speaking.

"These past couple of days have really sucked. Not only for me but for all us. I am sick of all of us fighting each other. Now you know things are fucked up when _I_ have to be the serious one. I want things to go back to normal," Gar looked at Vic and then Karen. "And the only ones who can make things normal again are you two."

"You can't make me talk to him." Karen said stubbornly, standing up.

"Sit down, Karen." Gar said softly.

"No." Karen turned to walk away.

"Sit down!"

Karen stopped in her tracks, glaring at Gar. Gar glared back at her, not backing down. Eventually, and somewhat reluctantly, Karen sat down.

"You and Vic can sort things out in private," said Gar. "The rest of us will be waiting in the kitchen."

"You can't boss us around." pointed out Roy.

"Get in the kitchen now!"

The others did as they were told, grumbling to themselves. They couldn't help but wonder when did Gar get so bossy.

Vic took a seat by Karen on the couch once the others were out of the room. Karen scooched far away from him as possible. For awhile, they sat in silence, neither one of them speaking or making eye contact.

The uncomfortable silence was broken by Vic.

"I'm sorry."

"That's bull and you know it." Karen snapped angrily.

"I deserve that."

"You deserve a whole lot more."

"Dammit, Karen," Vic snapped. "I'm trying to make amends here. What do I have to do to make you forgive me? What, you wanna take a swing at me again? Will that make you feel better? Go ahead and hit me."

Karen narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't tempt me."

"Go ahead and hit me if it'll make you feel better."

"And what good will that do? Hitting you won't change anything. It won't make us a couple again. And it won't erase what you did."

Vic sighed and buried his face in his hands. "Then I guess that means there's nothing I can do to stop you from hating me."

"I don't hate you," Karen said. "I really don't. I'm just angry and hurt and confused... " Karen looked at him. "Why did you cheat on me? And I want the truth. I need to know why."

"The truth huh," Vic murmured, looking at Karen. She nodded at him. He sighed. "To be honest I don't know. There was something about Sara... there was this spark between her and I."

"What about our spark?"

"Karen, I still care about you. And I really don't why I was so tempted by Sara... You just gotta believe me when I say I'm sorry."

Karen looked away from him.

"... I don't want to lose our friendship."

"Kori said that deep down inside I didn't want to lose you as a friend," Karen murmured. "She was right. I don't want our friendship to end. Ever since third grade you've been a big part of my life and I don't want to throw that away."

"Does that mean that you... forgive me?"

"It means that we're friends." Karen answered. She didn't want to say anything more or anything less because she didn't know the answer to Vic's question. She didn't know if she was ready to forgive him just yet for cheating on her, she just knew that she wanted his friendship.

Abruptly, Karen punched Vic in the arm.

"Ow, crazy, what was that for?"

"No reason," Karen replied with a smile on her face. She patted Vic on his back. "Let's go tell the others the good news."

Vic nodded his head and they made their way to the kitchen. On their way there Vic tripped Karen. He laughed and in response she pushed him. The two walked into the kitchen with smiles on their faces. The others looked at them expectantly.

"Did you guys make amends?" Dick asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Vic nodded. "We did."

"Now it's time for you all to do the same," said Gar, turning his attention towards the others. "We can start with Raven and Toni."

TT

It was a brand new school day. Currently Dick, Kori, Roy, Jade, Vic, Gar, Toni, Alain, Raven, Karen, Wally and Jenn were on their way to first period together. The group was engaged in conversation and, in lack of a better word, happy. Wally had his arm around Jenn, Toni and Raven were discussing a horror movie they wanted to see, and Roy was holding Jade's hand. As for Vic and Karen, the two were making jokes with each other.

The cheerful group passed by Kitten's locker.

"Wait just a minute!" Kitten screeched, struggling to catch up to the group with her crutches.

Kori and the others paused, looking at Kitten curiously.

"Are you talking to us?" Alain inquired.

"Yes," Kitten shouted angrily, glaring at them. "What are you all doing together? You're supposed to be fighting!"

"Oh well, we made up." said Wally simply.

"But... but I--"

"Oh, Kitten, that reminds me," Jenn began with a smile on her face. "We need to talk about your replacement on the cheer team. You know, since you have a busted leg and all."

With that said they turned away and made their way to class, laughing.

Kitten screamed at the top of her lungs, red with fury.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO lupine-eyes, ravencherithgirl, Night of the Stars, BerryDrops, cookiesruletheworld, Affinitive, featherpen13, Trimacle, writing4eva, jcyz, Hidden Iris, TerraBB4Eva, xxScriblezxx, RoseXxxXThorn, tennisgal456, Ace.04, RavenSis, cookiegurl15, vivacobra, mysteree101, Agent of the Divine One, toonfan820, superanimated, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, imcalledkitty AND Lizzy FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST, I MEAN THAT.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: SOME DICK AND KORI ACTION.**

**PREVIEW TO NEXT CHAPTER: **"I think I should go home." Kori replied as she stood up, fixing her hair and straitening out the wrinkles from her clothes.

"O-okay," Dick was beginning to get the feeling that Kori was mad at him. "I'll drive you."

"No, that won't be necessary. I can get there myself."

**REVIEW**

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	20. Sexy love

Kori absently ran her fingers through Dick's ebony locks, her eyes weary. The two were in his room, lights dimmed and a movie playing on screen. They were on Dick's bed and his head was resting on her lap.

Kori suddenly yawned.

"Am I boring you?" Dick asked, looking up at her.

"No, I'm just a little sleepy," Kori replied, her fingers still stroking his hair. "It's been a stressful week. You know, with everyone fighting and all."

"Yeah. But we're all together again and that's all that matters," Dick murmured, taking her hand and kissing it. "What you and Gar did was amazing."

"Gar did most of the work."

"True, but you finished it up for him," Dick grinned at her, sitting up. "I think you deserve an award."

Kori smiled at him. She knew his game, it was obvious, but she would play along. After all, in the end she was a winner too. "Really? What kind of award?"

Dick smiled at her, knowing that she knew his game. He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips, his hand running up her arm and to her cheek, his other hand resting on her knee. Kori wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

The start of the soft and easy kisses eventually lead to the descend on to the bed, with Dick on top.

"Don't you think we should finish watching the movie?" Kori asked once they pulled away for a breath of air.

"We can finish it later." Dick replied absently, kissing the crook of her neck. Kori giggled and captured his lips.

Kori was delighted with the way her relationship with Dick had been progressing. All of the events from sophomore year didn't even seem to mater anymore. They were even more in love than before and they hadn't even argued in what seemed like forever.

Kori was very satisfied with her relationship with Dick. He was a great boyfriend. He loved her, supported her, made her laugh... and was currently playing with the rim of her skirt.

That wasn't part of the game.

Apparently Dick had switched his game plan. No matter. This wasn't the first time Dick had played with the rim of Kori's skirt. He would run his fingers along it for a few seconds and then back off.

Any second now...

Kori thought that Dick would have backed off by now but he didn't, in fact, his hand was moving up her skirt.

Higher and higher his hand went. Kori thought for sure he would have stopped but he didn't. And his kisses were getting rougher too.

That's when his fingers brushed against her pantie line.

Kori immediately put her hands on his chest and pushed him away, breaking their kiss. "What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Dick was in the moment, and having the moment ripped away from him left him in a confused state of mind.

"What are you doing?" Kori repeated, looking down at her skirt (where his hand still was) and then at him.

"That's a good question." Dick answered. This was an awkward situation.

"Uh, do you mind moving your hand?"

"Huh? No! No, problem at all," Dick quickly did as he was asked and sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. Kori didn't sound too happy right now. "So, uh... do you want to finish that movie now or what?"

"I think I should go home." Kori replied as she stood up, fixing her hair and straitening out the wrinkles from her clothes.

"O-okay," Dick was beginning to get the feeling that Kori was mad at him. "I'll drive you."

"No, that won't be necessary. I can get there myself."

"Kori, it's dark outside. I'm taking you home."

"Fine. But can we take the car please?"

Dick nodded and Kori quickly left the room.

Dick sighed as he followed her example and left the room. If Kori didn't want to ride his motorcycle that meant she was upset with him. It was his own fault really. He must have really made her uncomfortable when he slipped his hand up her skirt.

Damn his hormones.

The drive to Kori's house was a silent and awkward one. Kori and Dick avoided making eye contact, and if they did they quickly looked away from each other. Finally, Dick pulled his car up in front of Kori's house.

"I'll call you." Dick said, breaking the silence.

Kori nodded her head and unbuckled her seat belt. She noticed that Dick was leaning in to give her kiss. Kori quickly backed up and got out of the car.

"Okay, I love you, goodbye." Kori said before running up to her door and rushing inside.

Dick banged his head against his steering wheel, feeling like a moron. He sighed and drove off.

Inside her house Kori could feel her heart pounding within her chest. What the hell happened tonight?

TT

Kori had elected to have a girls day.

After last night's incident with Dick, Kori decided it was time to get away from testosterone, at least for a little while. She needed a feminine opinion on last night's events, as well as some advice.

With her decision made Kori began to inform her friends of the idea.

Since she lived with Raven, Kori decided to inform her first. Kori told Raven about her idea for a girls day, only for Raven to reject it. The goth girl had already made plans to with Leon. Kori accepted Raven's decision and decided to call Karen. Just like Raven, Karen too had plans. Karen was to babysit the twins from next door. Having a girl day was not within her grasp. The next girl Kori called was Jade. Jade too rejected Kori on her offer. Jade had already promised to spend the day with Roy.

Just when all hope seemed lost, somebody had finally said yes to Kori's idea. That person was Toni. Toni was so enthralled with the idea of a girls day that she even elected to have it in her house, an idea that Kori readily agreed to. Kori didn't want to have the girls day at her house for two reasons. One: her baby brother could be really loud. Two: her parents. Kori wouldn't live to see another day if her parents found out how her relationship with Dick was evolving to the next level.

With a location picked out all Kori needed now was some more of her friends. She called Jenn, who agree. Then, Kori decided to invite Babs. Babs instantly agreed to the idea. Everything was set.

Finally, girl day came.

Kori, Babs, Jenn and Toni were in Toni's room. The four girls were in a circle, sitting on Toni's bean-bag chairs. A small table had been set in the middle of them that was filled with snacks and drinks. After all, it wouldn't be a girl day if there wasn't any junk food present, as said by Toni when the others arrived.

Currently, Kori was telling the girls about her night with Dick.

"I mean, I thought I knew all his moves. Then out of no where he comes and throws this at me." Kori told them.

"Well, he certainly knows how to surprise a girl." Toni droned, taking a handful of nachos from the table.

"Toni, this is serious," Kori exclaimed, her fingers fiddling nervously. "He really freaked me out."

"Don't you think you're overreacting," Jenn asked. "I mean, I left Wally alone in my room one time. When I came back I found him in my underwear draw. Boys can't resist girls panties. It's no big deal."

"Well it is to me. Dick's never gone that far with me before. We just now starting groping. I'm not ready for anything... under the clothes."

"Hate to break it you, Kori," began Toni. "But I think Dick is. The real question is, what are you going to do about it?"

"Well... I guess it's not a big deal like I thought it was." Kori admitted. Perhaps she did overreact to this whole thing. After all, Dick wouldn't have gone any further than that... would he?

"Not a big deal," Babs repeated, shocked. She narrowed her eyes at Kori. "Of course it's a big deal! Dick's not looking to move up a base, he's aiming for a home run!"

Babs was a prudent person who would scrutinize every detail. By the looks of things, Dick and Kori were on two completely different pages. Babs took it that Kori was no where near ready for sex. As for Dick, Babs was sure he wanted sex. All Babs had to do was fill Kori's head with doubt and fear, then she would be one step closer to Dick.

"Babs, what are you trying to say?" Toni inquired. She didn't really like the way Babs was going about this.

"Isn't it obvious? Dick wants to have sex with Kori."

"Okay, we all realize that," Jenn began. "But you make it sound like that's all he's after, that he doesn't care about Kori's feelings at all."

"Well, he is a playboy. Isn't he?"

"An ex-playboy," Kori corrected. "Dick's not like that anymore."

"That may be true, but old habits die hard," Babs had to fill Kori's head with doubt and fear. She needed Kori to doubt Dick and fear their progressing relationship. "How do we know that Dick just isn't after sex?"

"Because he loves me," Kori answered. "Babs, why are you saying these things?"

"Please forgive me, Kori. But I'm only looking out for you. I've had my fair share of jerky boyfriends who only wanted sex." Babs was playing off of Kori's kindness and trust. She knew some made up sob story would make Kori feel sorry for her and forgive her. Babs was like a puppet master, pulling at Kori's strings.

"Babs, I'm sorry."

Babs smirked, so predictable. "Don't worry about it, Kori. It was wrong of me to judge Dick based on my past boyfriends. Besides, Dick is nothing like them. He's special."

"Yeah...," Kori replied softly, a dreamy expression on her face. "He really is."

"Yeah yeah, hugs all around," Toni said sarcastically. "Kori, we still need to figure out what you're going to do about your frisky boy."

"I'll just sit him down and explain that I'm not ready," Kori replied simply. "I'm sure he'll understand."

"Yeah," Jenn nodded her head in agreement. "Then once you go home he'll cry."

TT

Dick had called an urgent meeting.

After last night's events, Dick knew he had messed up with Kori. Big time. Heck, he was lucky if he didn't chase her off completely after that stunt he pulled. Damn his hormones.

After last night, Dick knew he needed help. So, he had called for a guys day. He immediately called Roy, hoping that since Roy was experienced in the girl field that he could help, but Roy had to decline his offer. He already had plans with Jade. With one down Dick called the others. Gar, Wally and Alain had all agreed.

Dick had debated on whether or not to call Vic. In the end he decided not to. Vic was like an older brother to Kori. If he found out what Dick did he would crush him. And as much as Dick valued Vic's opinion, he valued his life much more.

Currently, the boys were all at Wayne Manor. They were inside Dick's room with the door locked. The boys had recalled that one fateful day in freshman year when they didn't lock the door to Dick's room. It was them, Roy and Vic. They had decided to watch a porno movie and got caught. Bruce had walked in on them and they received 'the talk' as punishment. That memory still sent chills up Dick's spine.

There would be no repeats of that today. The door would be locked and Bruce would not be raining on their parade.

"So what do you guys think I should do?" Dick asked. He had just finished telling them about what happened with Kori last night.

"Hold on there just a sec, Dick." Gar said. The green haired teen took a deep breath and began to laugh uncontrollably. He clutched at his sides and even a few tears of mirth escaped his eyes. He doubled over in laughter.

Dick glared at him. "Just what the hell is so funny?"

"You dude," Gar answered, his laughter gradually decreasing into a light chuckle. He wiped his eyes. "Aw man I needed that. Damn, this is like the twilight zone. I never would have thought the playboy would have trouble in this area."

"Ex-playboy," Dick corrected, crossing his arms. His problem wasn't that funny. "Besides, I do not have trouble in that 'area'. I know that area. It's Kori that I have trouble with. All I did was touch her underwear and she freaked on me."

"Well did you even ask?" Alain inquired, looking at Dick.

Dick rose a brow at his friend, not understanding his question. "What do you mean?"

"Did you ask if you could touch her in that way?" Alain knew had the role been reversed, and if it was him and Toni, he would have asked permission. The last time he followed his hormones without thinking landed him having 'the talk' with his father and his father's friends. It wasn't a pleasant experience.

"Why would I ask? I thought she would have liked it if we moved up a base."

Alain slapped his forehead. Clearly some of his friends had yet to realize what being a gentleman really meant. "Clearly she didn't like it and that's why she freaked out."

"Well how was I supposed to know that would happen," Dick exclaimed. "Back when I was a playboy I could get to third base just by snapping my fingers."

Wally gave Dick a thumbs up. "You were one of the best dude."

"I think you're missing a minor detail," Gar said. "All of those other girls were easy. Most of them were... well... whores. Kori's not like that."

"Yeah, I know. Kori is special," Dick murmured, a dreamy expression on his face. "Which is why I want our relationship to go to the next level."

"I feel you man," said Wally. "Jenn and I have started doing... _stuff_, but we still haven't gone all the way."

"Wally, please," snapped Dick. "We're discussing my problems."

"Hey, the two of you shouldn't even be complaining," Gar shouted, eyes narrowed. "At least you two have girlfriends. I'm still freakin' single! The only extreme thing I've ever done is french-kiss."

Wally laughed. "Oh man you're lame."

Gar punched the red head in the arm.

"Ow!"

"Focus here guys," reminded Alain. "Dick's the one who called us here. And I think his problem is the most urgent out of ours."

"So what do you think I should do, Alain," Dick asked. Alain had little experience with females, even less than Gar's, but he was wise beyond his years. Maybe his opinion would shed some light on the situation. "How should I go about this thing with Kori?"

"Personally, I would back off. Just for a little while. I know you have urges but you need to respect where Kori is coming at."

Dick groaned. "Do have any idea how hard that's going to be? Dude, have you ever seen Kori soaking wet in a string bikini? It's hard enough showing restraint with her!"

Gar grinned. "Kori is in a string bikini..."

Dick slapped Gar behind his head. "Stop having fantasies about my girlfriend before I kick your ass."

"Maybe you should go for it," suggested Wally. "I mean, she could be playing hard to get. Jenn used to play hard to get and look at where we are now."

"I gotta say, I'm liking you logic, Wally." Dick said, grinning. Wally's opinion meant that it would be okay to go for it with Kori. If he followed Wally's advice, he would be greeted by a world of pleasure.

"Don't listen to Wally," warned Alain. "He's an idiot."

"Hey! I give good advice."

"No you don't. My first ring any bells? You almost ruined my chance with Toni!"

"Yeah... well... you didn't have to listen to me... Jerk." Wally grumbled.

"Dick, I'm telling you to slow down for a reason. Kori isn't ready and after everything she's done for you, it would be unfair for you to push her into something she's not ready for." Alain said wisely. If it was one thing that Alain had, it was sagacity.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Dick turned his head towards Gar. "What about you, Gar? What do you think?"

"Well, seeing as how I'm the only guy in here with no girlfriend, I would take either Wally or Alain's advice. Doesn't really matter to me," Gar answered nonchalantly. "Just don't hurt Kori and we'll be cool."

"You know what you and Kori need to do," began Alain. "You need to get everything out in the open. You should buckle down and talk about this with her. Just be honest with each other and I'm sure everything will work out."

Dick nodded his head. "Thanks, Alain. I think you're right about this one."

"You're welcome." Alain said before punching Dick in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?'

"For even considering Wally's advice. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Dammit, I give good advice!" Wally yelled, grabbing a pillow and smacking Alain the back of the head with it.

After that, one thing lead to another. Which then lead to Wally, Gar and Alain being told to leave by Bruce.

TT

Kori had the whole house to herself. Her father was at work and her mother had taken Ryan out for the day. Komi was also outside, hanging with her friends. As for Raven, she had another date with Leon. This was perfect since it worked in Kori's advantage.

Today she had invited Dick over. After girls day, Kori had decided she needed to confront Dick about the whole issue involving sex. Since her house was empty, now was the perfect time.

This was a serious issue that they needed to discuss. And until they could reach an understanding both would continue to trip over each other, leading to awkward situations. Like last time for example.

Upon hearing the doorbell ring Kori sprinted to the door. She paused once she touched the doorknob, fixing her hair and clothes a bit. Kori purposely zipped up her sweater. If there was no cleavage showing than Dick wouldn't be distracted so easily.

Opening the door Kori was greeted by a smiling Dick who held a bouquet of roses.

"Hey, these are for you." Dick greeted, handing her the flowers.

"Dick, thank you," Kori wrapped her arms around him in a hug, kissing his cheek. "The flowers are beautiful."

Dick smirked. The roses had been Wally's idea. Wally said it was a guarantee that he would receive a hug from Kori if he gave her flowers. That, and it would help break that awkward ice.

"Not as beautiful as you." Dick replied sweetly, looking Kori over. Jeans and a sweater. Inside Dick frowned. Kori was so... covered up. What happened to the mini skirt and tank top combination? He loved that combination.

"Would you like anything to eat or drink," Kori asked, closing the door behind him. "I'll order a pizza if you like."

"No, I'm fine," Dick answered, settling himself on the couch. "So... you gonna take your sweater off?"

Kori smirked at him and ruffled his hair up a bit. Leaning down she whispered in his ear. "The sweater stays on."

"Can't blame a guy for trying," Dick said innocently as Kori took a seat next to him. "So... how do you want to start this? Should I go first or...?"

"How about you tell me what you're intentions were when you slipped your hand up my skirt?"

Dick blushed a crimson red. Kori wasn't tip-toeing around this. She wanted to get down to business. And not the type of business he wanted to get down to.

"Uh... can we skip that one. Please," Dick sighed in relief when Kori nodded her head. He dodged one bullet, but he got the feeling that wouldn't be the last one. "I talked with Alain yesterday. He said that we should be honest and lay everything out in the open."

"He did? Wow," Kori smiled. Honesty was just what they needed at the moment. "I'm all for that. What about you?"

Dick nodded. "That's cool. Alright, I have a question for you."

"Go ahead."

"I want you to be completely honest with me on this one. Kori, did I... scare you the other night?"

"It's not so much that you scared me, but I do admit it freaked me out," Kori confessed. "You caught me off guard. I mean, you may want to warn a girl before you do that."

"That's fair. So if I was to warn you right now--"

"Don't push your luck pal," Kori warned him playfully. "It's my turn now. And don't even try to skip this question."

Dick chuckled. "Promise."

"Dick... do you want to have sex with me?"

Dick's jaw hit the floor. If he knew that this was the question waiting for him down the road he would have never skipped the first one. Dammit, he wasn't ready to answer this type of question yet. What if he freaked Kori out with his answer? He didn't want to scare her out of his life.

"Dick, I'm waiting for your answer. Your honest answer."

"Uh... can I skip this one?"

"No."

Dick groaned. He really didn't want to answer her question. "Do I have to?"

"Yes," Kori exasperated. "And I want the truth."

"Okay, the truth is... Most of my thoughts revolve around you, and some of these thoughts include you being... nude, and us being together. I can't help it if I find your extremely attractive or have naughty thoughts from time to time. It's not my fault that I want to have sex with you!"

Kori giggled. Dick sang like a canary. "Dick, you could have answered with a simple yes or no. You didn't have to say all that."

"I... I thought I had to explain...," Dick slapped his forehead and groaned. This was by far the most embarrassing moment in his life. "Aw dammit."

"You don't have to beat yourself up about this," Kori said, scooching closer to Dick on the couch, taking one of his hands in her own. "A lot of boys have dreams like that."

"Yeah.. but I bet they never blurt it out to their girlfriend."

"True... But hey, it's your tun to ask me a question."

Dick clenched Kori's hand. There was one question he needed an honest answer to. "Kori, are you ready for sex?"

Kori bit her lip. She should have seen this one coming. She already knew her answer, she was just afraid to voice it. What would she do if Dick got upset because of her answer?

"In all honesty...," Kori took in a deep breath, squeezing Dick's hands. "No, I'm not. I'm sorry."

"Hey, no need to apologize. I get the fact that you're not ready," Dick said cooly, brushing off any hurt that he felt. "I understand completely that you don't want to be with me in that way."

Kori shook her head, giggling. "Dick, you are such a dumbass."

"Hey, I didn't call you names!"

"I said that I wasn't ready. That doesn't mean that I don't want to sleep with you."

"So, wait, that means you're not rejecting me? It's just on... hold?"

Kori nodded.

"Well hot damn I can wait," Dick shouted happily, grabbing Kori into a hug. "But I just have one very important question."

"What's that?" Kori inquired, looking up at him.

Dick grinned mischievously. "What color are your panties?"

Kori slapped Dick on the arm while he laughed. "Not funny," she sighed in content, snuggling into Dick's chest. "I am so happy that we've made a decision on this. I'm really glad that one day you'll be my first and I'll be yours."

Dick froze. He was in trouble now. "Actually, Kori, it's funny that you should mention that... You know, since we're being honest and all," Dick sighed. It was best that he told her now and get it over with. "Kori... I've already done it."

Kori's eyes went wide and she pulled away from him, looking him in the eyes. "What?"

"I'm not a virgin."

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO jcyz, Night of the Stars, featherpen13, Hidden Iris, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, mysteree101, cookiesruletheworld, Ace.04, RavenSis, Trimacle, BerryDrops, imcalledkitty, Agent of the Divine One, Daniella, Affinitive, xxScriblezxx, Among The Betrayed, cookiegurl15, toonfan820 AND tennisgal456 FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST REVIEWERS EVER! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!**

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	21. Honestly

Kori's feelings at the present moment were miscellaneous. She didn't know which feeling was stronger. She was hurt that Dick had kept a secret from her like this for so long. She was also shocked by the sudden secret being dropped on to her lap. So many mixed emotions flowed within her, but in the end only one was able to triumph over all others.

That emotion just so happened to be wrath.

Kori Anders was normally a sweet girl. She was kind and generous. She was hardly ever vicious. But when angered, one would count their blessings if they weren't the person she was angry at. Getting on Kori's bad side was a foolish thing to do.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I heard you right," Kori hissed lowly, sounding so unlike herself and more like that of a demon. Kori prayed that she heard Dick wrong. "Please tell me that you are still a virgin."

Dick rubbed the back of his neck. He had unleashed the wrath of Kori upon himself. "I could say that, but it would be a lie."

Kori clenched her fist. "So you're not a virgin?"

"No, I'm not," Dick was beginning to feel nervous now. The look on Kori's face just spelled pain, pain that would be inflicted upon him. Dick had to think fast, he was too cute to be beaten to a pulp. "Kori, I'm not saying this so that you won't beat me up but, I love you."

Kori reached out and grabbed a fistful of Dick's shirt, shaking him violently. "How could you not tell me this?! Are you retarded?! Idiot! Idiot! IDIOT!"

With each word that came out of Kori's mouth Dick was shaken violently. If she kept this up she would probably tear his shirt. Luckily for Dick, Kori gave him one last shake and pushed him on to the couch.

"Do you have any idea how mad I am at you right now?" Kori hissed, glaring at the fearful Dick.

"Uh... really mad." guessed Dick.

"You'll be lucky if I don't beat the crap out of you," Kori took a deep, calming breath and sat on the couch besides Dick, who flinched when she sat near him. "You... you didn't cheat on me did you?"

Kori was fearful that Dick might have done what Vic did to Karen. Kori prayed that wasn't the case.

"Kori, I promise you that I never, or ever will, cheat on you," Dick said seriously, ignoring the sense of fear that Kori might turn on him and beat him. He took her hands in his, hoping that this would calm her down. "I would never do that to you."

Kori would have smiled at his words, but she was far to upset with him at the moment. "Who was your first?"

"What?" Dick was surprised that she would even ask. Why would she even want to know?

"I want to know who was your first time with. Now you can either tell me, or I can hurt you," Kori hated how she was acting, but she refused to be lenient with him. Not after he kept a secret like this. "Your choice."

Dick sighed. Once he told Kori who he slept with she would probably beat him anyways, or perhaps even worse. "Kori... if I tell you, you'll only become even more upset. More than you are now."

"I deserve to know."

"I know you do, but... I'm afraid of what your reaction might be when I tell you the truth." Dick confessed softly. Once he told Kori the truth, he would be lucky if she only beat him up. He was worried that if he told her any more that she would walk out of him. Dick loved having Kori as girlfriend, he didn't want to lose her.

Kori sighed deeply. She didn't know what her reaction would be after Dick told her, but now she needed to know. He was far too nervous. "Tell me who it is, Dick. Now."

Dick sighed. "My first time was with...Komi."

Kori's eyes went wide. Surely she didn't hear right. "M-my sister? You had sex with my sister?"

Dick nodded. "Yes. Kori, I'm so s--"

Dick's sentence was cut off when Kori delivered a slap to his cheek. Five fingers to the face that hurt like hell. Dick rubbed his throbbing face and looked at Kori. She was glaring at him and her eyes were watery.

"How could you have sex with my sister?! Komi is my sister, my _sister_!" Kori couldn't stop the tears from spilling from her eyes. The word betrayed was added to her list of miscellaneous emotions.

Kori had a rocky relationship with her sister, and they fought a lot, but she would have never thought that Komi would do something like this.

"Kori, please don't cry," Dick pleaded. "This was way before we ever started dating. You don't know the whole story."

"Let me guess, you're going to tell it to me."

"Look, I never planned on sleeping with your sister. It just sort of happened," Dick explained. He had to explain to Kori, maybe then she wouldn't look as if she was about to kill him. "Remember how when I used to go to you for comfort when I broke up with a girl? Well, I had just broken up with a girl that I thought was the one--"

"You mean the one that you dated for more than a week."

"Yeah. So, anyway, I went over to your house to see you. The problem was you weren't there, only Komi. She told me that you had went to the movies with Xavier."

"So you slept with her to get back at me!? All because I went to the movies with a friend!"

"No, you got it all wrong. It wasn't like that. Once I saw that you weren't there I was ready to leave but me and Komi got to talking. Turns out that she had just broken up with someone too. One thing lead to another and it just happened. But it was a one time thing, I swear! And it didn't mean anything!"

Kori buried her head in her hands. This was all so much to take in.

Dick placed a hand on her shoulder and then gradually made his way in, giving Kori a hug. He sighed and buried his face in her hair. "You hate me now right?"

"No... I don't hate you," Kori answered softly, leaning into his embrace. Dick has done a lot of foolish things, and he's made mistakes, but Kori could never hate him for that. "I'm just angry. Though, I guess I should be glad that you were with only one girl."

Dick went stiff, and Kori instantly picked up on it. She pulled away from him.

"Komi was your first time. But she wasn't your last, was she?"

Dick didn't say anything. After all, the answer was obvious.

Kori sighed sadly. "How many girls have you been with, Dick?"

"Three when you include your sister. But I only slept with each girl once."

Kori rubbed her temples, she could feel a headache forming. "Who were the other two girls?"

"Well, my last time was with Carrie. I was trying to forget about everything you and I had, and I'm not making excuses but I had been drinking a lot the day she and I did it."

"Hmm... and the girl before her? What was her name?" Kori asked dryly. It took everything in her power not to strangle Dick at the moment.

"Trust me, Kori," Dick replied, his voice serious. "You don't want to know."

"Why wouldn't I want to know? I'm asking aren't I, just tell me."

"Kori, I want to be honest with you but... Maybe this is just one of those times when you should drop it and let me have my secret."

Dick didn't want to tell Kori the girl's name for selfish reasons. He saw how she reacted to him and Komi. If he told her the name of this girl he was afraid she wouldn't be able to handle it. And he was also afraid that she would put him six feet under.

"Why are you so worried? Is it someone I know," Kori began to fear the worse. "It's not Raven is it?"

"Okay, three things. One, ew. Two, it's not Raven. And three, _ew_." Dick shuddered. The thought of him and Raven was just vile.

"So then who is it?" Kori probed. She really wanted to know who it was.

Seeing as how Kori wasn't going to drop this, Dick decided to answer her. Dick mumbled the name under his breath.

"Could you repeat yourself," Kori asked, annoyed. How could the next person be even worse than him and her sister? He actually seemed afraid. Kori couldn't help but feel pity for him. "We've gotten this far. We might as well finish it."

The room fell silent. Then, Dick's lips began to move.

"It was with Kitten. My second time was with Kitten."

Dick prepared himself for insults and yelling. He was ready for Kori's slap. He even expected to be punched in the face. Dick was prepared for almost anything. But when nothing happened, he was both shocked and confused. There was no blow to the head or any tears or curse words. Just silence. Complete and utter silence.

And for some reason that seemed to scare the hell out of Dick.

Kori wasn't reacting. At all. Why wasn't she reacting?

"Kori...?" Dick was worried about her.

"Get out." Kori's voice was almost a whisper.

"Kori, you wanted to know. I told you--"

"Get out," Kori shouted, her body shaking. She walked away and went to the front door, opening it. "Leave!"

"Come on, Kori," pleaded Dick, going to her side. "We can talk about this."

"I don't want to talk about it. I want you out of my house."

Dick didn't move.

Kori shoved him, hard. "Didn't you hear me? Go! Get out, just get out!"

She continued to shove him but Dick caught her wrist, stopping her. Kori tried to pull away, she even yelled at him, but Dick wouldn't let her go. Dick looked Kori in the eyes and saw how hurt she was. It was all his fault that she was hurting.

"I'm sorry." Dick said softly before walking out the door.

Kori slammed the door behind him and fell to her knees, sobbing.

TT

Alain's eyes were glued to his fish tank. So far, today had been a boring day for him. He yawned, his eyes weary.

Someone knocked on his bedroom door.

"Come in!" Alain shouted, his eyes still on his pets.

The door opened, revealing Alain's mother. "Alain, you have a visitor. Should I send him up?"

"Uh, sure," Alain replied, sitting up straight in his chair. "Thanks mom."

Alain's mother left the room and what seemed like two seconds later, Dick came bursting in, eyes ablaze.

"You're a dead man, Alain!" Dick snarled, grabbing his friend by the collar of his shirt.

"What did I do?" Alain choked out. Dick was cutting off his air supply.

"You gave me some bad advice, that's what you did," Dick said furiously, pushing Alain back into his chair. "I did what you said and was honest with Kori. Now I'm pretty sure that she hates me."

"Slow down a minute there, Dick," Alain paused, catching his breath. "Tell me what happened."

"I followed your advice and was honest with Kori."

"So what's the problem?" Alain inquired, confused.

"The problem is that I was honest with Kori," Dick screamed. "I told her that I wasn't a virgin."

Alain rose a brow. "I'm sure you're overreacting. I do think that Kori would be upset about that. But I don't think it would be enough for her to hate you."

"Dude, you don't get it. Once I told her that I wasn't a virgin she wanted to know who I did it with. So I told her everything."

"Are you fucking insane! I told you to be honest, not spill your guts!"

"But you said--"

"I know what I said! But even I wouldn't be that honest and tell the girl _everything_," Alain shook his head. "Damn, you really are stupid."

"Okay, I think we're on the wrong pages here. When I said 'everything', I really meant the names of the girls that I've been with," Dick said. "I'm not gonna tell Kori what I did with another girl. I'm not crazy."

"What do you mean by girls," Alain inquired. Back in the summer, before they all became juniors, the boys had a guys night and some secrets were spilled. Dick had confessed to being with one girl, he didn't say who or when, and the others left it alone. "You never told us that there was more than one girl."

"Yeah, well, there was." Dick muttered, guilt sweeping over him. He really should have had better judgement and controlled his hormones.

"So who did you do it with?" Alain was curious.

"Komi--"

"Her sister? You idiot, how could you have done the do with her sister?!"

"Okay, I am so sick of being called names today."

"Right, sorry. So who were the other two girls?"

"Carrie and... Kitten."

"Oh," Alain shook his head. "You messed up bad. Kori's mortal enemy. I'm surprised you're even walking right now."

"Come on, Alain. I need some serious help here!" Dick shouted, agitated. He didn't know who to turn to, Alain was his only hope.

"I'm sorry, Dick, but I don't know what to tell you. You're going to have to figure this one out on your own."

Dick buried his face in his hands. He was doomed.

TT

The Anders household was currently having dinner. It was a pleasant affair and a nice conversation was flowing around the table. Everyone seemed lively, even Raven. Everyone except Kori. Kori had been extremely quiet, something that didn't go unnoticed by her mother Luan.

"Kori, is something troubling you?" Luan asked, glancing at her youngest daughter.

Kori shook her head, her eyes on her plate.

"It's probably boyfriend troubles." joked Komi with a grin on her face.

"You would know boyfriend stealer!" Kori snapped angrily.

The table fell silent. Even Ryan was quiet.

Kori threw her fork on her plate. "May I be excused. Please."

"Of course." Luan said softly. She knew when one of her children was upset, so she didn't want to burden Kori by asking her to stay at the table.

Kori stood and left the room. Once she was gone Komi spoke up.

"What the hell is her problem?"

"Komi, no cursing at the table," Myan scolded. "Ryan's young mind is like a sponge. He doesn't need to hear words like that."

Komi merely rolled her eyes.

Later...

Kori found herself in the kitchen, her hands wet and a sponge in her hand. After her mother had excused her from the table she felt the need to thank her somehow. So, she had volunteered to wash the dishes. It was a small gesture, but it was all Kori could think of as a thank you. Besides, some time to herself might help her figure out what to do with Dick.

Dick. Kori narrowed her eyes. She still loved him, but she wouldn't mind kicking his ass up and down the streets of Jump City.

She knew that he used to be a playboy, but she would have never thought he did _those_ types of things. Especially with her sister, some skank he met at a diner, and her mortal enemy since, like, kindergarten.

"Oh, I'm having a bad day." Kori murmured, her head hung low.

"Is that why you were grilling me at the dinner table?"

Kori narrowed her eyes. There goes the voice of mortal enemy number two. "What do you want, Komi? I'm busy."

"I want to know why you were being such a bitch to me during dinner," Komi replied, crossing her arms. "Did I do something wrong?"

"You know exactly what you did," Kori snapped, turning around to face Komi. "You had sex with Dick."

Komi scoffed. "Please, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I mean, your boyfriend is cute and all, but I would never even think of getting with him."

Kori noticed that Komi could lie with a straight face. "You can cut the crap. Dick told me."

"Well, he's lying. He's a liar."

"That's bull and you know it."

"Okay, so maybe I did sleep with Dick, so what," Komi responded, frustrated. Her and Dick had agreed never, _ever_, to speak of their one night stand to ever again. She crossed her arms. "It was a long time ago. Big deal."

"It is a big deal. Dick is my boyfriend!"

"Well I slept when I slept with him you two weren't even together. And you were still covering up the fact that you even liked him," Komi bit back, glaring at her sister. "So get over yourself and spare me the hurt act!"

"It's not an act. I admit that I didn't want anyone to know that I liked him," Kori said angrily. "But you knew I liked him. You knew and slept with him!"

Komi sighed and brushed her bangs out of her face. "I didn't do it to hurt you. It was a spur of the moment type of thing. It meant nothing to the both of us. That's why we decided to keep it a secret. Neither one of us wanted to hurt you."

"Yeah, well, you did." Kori responded sadly.

"Kori... I normally don't say this but, I'm sorry. I really am. Just tell me how to make it up to you. Anything and I'll do it."

Kori turned her head to the side, looking at her sister. "You mean that?"

"If it'll make you forgive me."

Kori bit her lip. In all honesty she was infuriated with her sister, but Komi was still her sister. And despite what she did she knew she would forgive her eventually. Might as well get something out of it while she had the chance.

"Okay," Kori turned around to face her. "I need you to do something for me."

"Name it."

"I need a ride to Kitten Moth's house."

TT

Right now, Kitten loathed everything and everyone. She was stuck in her room, all alone, practically bored to tears. There wasn't much that she could do, after all her leg was broken. Kitten sighed, she wished Cindy and Mandy were here.

At the thought of Cindy and Mandy made Kitten grit her teeth. Her supposed friends had ditched her to go to the mall. Some friends they were. They should be here, with her, obeying her every command.

Someone knocked at her door.

"Go away!" Kitten shrieked. She wasn't in the mood for company.

"But, Kitten, dear, one of your friends are here." was the reply of her mother.

Kitten looked up hopefully. It had to be either Cindy or Mandy. They were her only friends. Kitten believed that it was Cindy, Cindy was much more caring about her well being than Mandy was.

"Well what are you waiting for, mom," Kitten yelled. "Tell whoever it is to come in.'

"Okay dear."

Kitten bounced in her seat. She knew she could depend on Cindy.

The door opened and closed.

Kitten was shocked to see who was standing in her room, as well as disgusted. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

"What, an old friend can't drop by to say hi?" Kori responded coolly, using a tactic that Kitten often used on her and her friends.

"You must be here for a reason," Kitten concluded. "What do you want from me?"

Kori took a seat on an empty chair in Kitten's room. She refused to sit on her bed. Who knows what kind of stuff she did on that bed besides sleep. "I want you to tell me a story."

Kitten scoffed. "Do I look like your mom? I don't tell fairytales."

Kori frowned at her. "I want you to tell me what happened the night you slept with Dick."

"Is this some sort of sick joke," Kitten inquired angrily, crossing her arms. "Did you come here to rub Dick in my face?"

"Trust me when I say this, Kitten," Kori began. "I wouldn't want Dick to rub you in any kind of way. But he already has, and I want to know why."

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about."

"Dick could barely stand to kiss you when you two were together," Kori said. Deep down inside Kori wanted to believe that there was a reason to Dick sleeping with Kitten, that he didn't do it willingly or because he truly had feelings for her. Perhaps maybe she drugged him and made it look like they slept together. Kori wouldn't put it pass Kitten if she did something like that. "How did you trick him into having sex with you?"

"Okay, first of all, as much as I would have liked to have gone all the way with Dick, I never had sex with him."

Kori sighed. "You lying bitch."

"Why would I lie about something like that," Kitten inquired, a smirk on present of her face. "Clearly this bothers you, and whatever makes you miserable makes me happy. If I really did have sex with Dick I would be milking the situation for all it's worth."

"You're telling the truth, aren't you?" Kori asked softly.

"Unfortunately yes. Which brings up the question, why would Dick say that we had sex when we didn't? You two wouldn't happen to be having relationship troubles now would you?"

"No," Kori lied, but there was no way she would give Kitten the satisfaction, or the opportunity to gloat. And as much as she hated to admit it, Kitten did bring up a good question. Why would Dick say that he slept with Kitten when he didn't? "Were you and Dick ever close?"

"Oh, he and I were very close. We even slept in the same bed once before," Kitten answered, smirking. "Fond memories."

Kori fought the urge to puke. She narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe you."

"Believe it because it's true," Kitten smirked. This was the perfect opportunity to mess with Kori. It was time to tell a few lies. "But I refused to sleep with him. Dick had this, like, obsession with sex. I think this is what lead to the downfall of our relationship."

Kori stood up. "I've heard enough."

"Kori, wait!"

She knew she should have walked straight out that door, but Kori decided to listen to what Kitten had to say.

"Remember spring break of sophomore year?"

Kori nodded her head. "Yes... Why?"

"Don't you remember how Dick and I were bickering during the break? Why do you think we were bickering so much? I didn't give Dick what he wanted so he was angry at me," Kitten said. "Why, I bet one day he'll even dump you if you refuse to have sex with him."

"Go to hell." Kori muttered, walking out the door and slamming the door behind her.

Kitten began to laugh. Hurting Kori was so much fun.

TT

Dick almost choked on his drink. He tapped his chest and tried to gain control of his breathing. He looked at the girl across from him with shocked eyes. "You want to know what?!"

"I want you to tell me about the night you slept with Kitten." Kori answered calmly. She wanted to know what happened. The things Kitten told her and what Dick told her didn't add up. Maybe if Dick told her exactly what happened they would be able to figure this thing out.

"Kori, when you said you wanted to meet and talk I didn't know this is what you had in mind."

"Kitten said that you two didn't have sex. You said that you did. I want to figure out what's going on here," Kori said. "In order to do that I need to know what happened."

Dick gulped. He wasn't sure if he should tell Kori or not. After yesterday's events he didn't want to make the hole he was in deeper. "Are you sure?"

Kori paused, but nodded. There was no turning back now. Whatever came next she would have to deal with it.

Dick sighed, thinking that he would regret this later. "In sophomore year, during March, Kitten and I went to Gotham for the weekend. An old friend of her's was having a party and she wanted me to go with her. When we arrived at her friend's house the place was packed with people and beer."

"You didn't--"

"No, I didn't drink. Remember at that time I was silver. It was after Fang...," Dick sighed, pushing that horrid memory to the side. "Kitten drank but I just chose to have some punch. There must have been something wrong with the punch, because afterwards I was in a daze. I couldn't even see straight."

"It must have been spiked," Kori concluded. She looked at Dick. "What happened after that?"

"I'm not sure. I was too dizzy. I remember a girl, who I assumed to be Kitten, taking me upstairs," Dick replied. "When I woke up it was morning and I was naked in bed. Then Kitten walked into the room and told me to get dressed."

"So you don't remember anything?"

"Not really. Everything is blurry."

"That means Kitten really was telling the truth. You didn't sleep with her. If you did she would have used it against me by now," Kori said in relief. She paused, realization hitting her, and frowned. "But it's still possible that you slept with someone that night. There's no way of knowing for sure if you did, or if it was just some scheme by Kitten to set you up. Or even a prank."

Dick tried to look on the bright side of things. "At least I didn't sleep with Kitten."

Kori didn't respond to him.

Dick sighed. "Kori... I know this is a lot to take in, but I just want you to know that I regret a lot of things that I've done in the past. If I could take it all bak I would, but I can't. So... now that you know all this, do you still want to be with me?"

"Why did you break up with Kitten?"

Dick was a little peeved that Kori ignored his question, but decided to answer her. "I broke up with Kitten because she was a bitch and I was in love with you. I still am, Kori. Do you still love me?"

"How come you didn't tell me about Kitten sooner?"

Dick sighed. Again she had ignored his question with a question of her own. "I didn't want you to know because we had just gotten together. I thought that if I told you, you would leave me."

"Which is why didn't tell me about Komi or Carrie either, right?"

Dick nodded.

Kori leaned back against the red leather booth she was sitting on, contemplating. Her mind kept dwelling back to Kitten's words. Kitten said that her and Dick had problems because she refused to have sex with him. Kori knew it was lie. Kitten would never have passed up the chance to be with Dick, and Kori doubted that Dick would even want to be with her in that way. But still, Kori was bothered by Kitten's words.

What if Kitten and Babs were right? What if Dick did only want sex? Would he dump her and move on to the next available girl?

Kori shook her head. Dick wouldn't do that. He wasn't that type of person... Or was he? All of his sudden secrets being exposed showed a side to Dick that Kori never knew existed. Maybe he would dump her if she didn't agree to sleep with him.

That was the last thing she wanted. Despite his past Kori still loved Dick. She didn't want to lose him, not after everything they've been through together. They had worked so hard to get where they are now.

"Are you alright, Kori," Dick asked in concern, taking her hand in his. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," Kori said abruptly. "I was just thinking, that's all... Is Bruce going to attend that charity ball tomorrow night? My parents are going."

Dick blinked in surprise. Kori's question was so out of the blue. "Yeah, he is."

"So that means you'll have the house to yourself right?"

"Yeah, since Alfred is on vacation," Dick rose a brow. "Why?"

"I was just thinking that maybe I could come over... It'll be just the two of us," Kori's cheeks turned red. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. "Maybe we could... you know..."

Dick's eyes went impossibly wide. "S-seriously?"

Kori nodded.

TT

Kori took a deep breath, hoping that would help her calm her nerves. It didn't work. Her mind seemed to be in overdrive at the moment, so many different emotions swelling up inside of her. She was starting to re-think her decision.

Maybe she was going about this the wrong way. She had let Kitten's words affect her to much, it wasn't to late to turn around. Dick was only a phone call away. She could call him and tell him that she changed her mind. He would understand.

Or would he? He was so overjoyed when she had told him that she was ready. Dick was practically floating on air. Going back on her word now would disappoint him so much.

Perhaps she was overreacting. There was nothing to fear really. It was just sex. Lot's of teenagers have sex. It was natural. No big deal.

Then again, it never hurt to be absolutely sure. She needed to be sure that she was doing this for the right reasons. Not because she was scared of losing Dick. She had to be sure that she was ready.

Kori pushed her thoughts to the side. She loved Dick. This was just another step that her and Dick had to take as a couple. It was natural, no big deal, nothing to fear. She could do this.

Kori reached out her hand, ready to take the next step, but quickly withdrew it.

Raven sighed in annoyance. "Kori, we've been standing here for over ten minutes. Either you're going to buy the condoms or not."

"I am, just give me a second," Kori said. "This isn't as easy as it looks."

"Kori, are you sure about this? I mean, if you can't even buy condoms then how do you expect to go all the way," Raven inquired. "Are you even ready for this?"

"Of course I'm ready. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because your shaking and can't even pick up a box of condoms."

"Well if you think it's so easy then why don't you buy it!" Kori shouted. She was nervous, that didn't mean anything. This was a complicated situation that needed to be handled in the right way. Kori wished Raven didn't ask so many questions.

"Fine, I'll do it." Raven responded indifferently, stepping up to the plate. She reached out her hand and paused.

This was awkward.

"On second thought, you should do it," Raven said, stepping back. "They are for you and Dick."

"Not so easy is it?"

"Shut up."

Kori took a deep breath. "Okay, I can do this. I can do this..."

Kori closed her eyes and quickly grabbed a box.

Raven rose a brow. "Uh... Kori, those glow in the dark."

"Ew," Kori dropped the box and jumped back. "Why would anyone want glow in the dark condoms?"

Raven shrugged. "Maybe you should look this time before you pick."

Kori bit her lip and grabbed a box. She sighed. Thank goodness that was over. Now all she had to do was pay for it and she could leave.

Together, Raven and Kori stood on line. Kori had wrapped the box of condoms in a magazine so people wouldn't see what she was holding. It was embarrassing enough just purchasing the damn thing. Once it was her turn she stepped up to the register.

The clerk ran the condoms over the scanner a couple of times before sighing in annoyance. She took the microphone. "I need a price check on a pack of condoms. Price check on a pack of condoms."

Kori buried her head in her hands. She could just feel the stares of other customers. This was _so _embarrassing.

TT

Dick had his chin resting in the palm of his hand, his eyes glued to Kori. So far she had gone through four cans of soda, and was currently finishing up her fifth. "Uh, Kori... don't you think you've had enough?"

Kori looked at him, then the empty cans of soda, then back at him. She smiled sheepishly. "I guess you're right."

Dick grinned at her, taking the soda from her hands and placing it on the table. He leaned in to kiss her but Kori moved back.

"I have to pee."

"Uh... okay."

Kori quickly stood up and left his bedroom, going to the bathroom. She tapped her foot. She was nervous, she couldn't help it. After tonight there would be no going back. It was an overwhelming feeling. Kori wondered if Dick caught on to her nervousness. He probably did since it was obvious. Taking a deep breath Kori exhaled. She left the bathroom and went back to Dick's room. She was surprised to see him standing up, gazing out the window, with a look of deep thought on his face. Kori wondered what he could be thinking about, she hoped it wasn't her.

Dick turned his head to the side, his eyes on Kori. "Kori, be honest with me. Do you really want to do this?"

"Of course I do," Kori answered quickly. She paused and regained her composure. "I'm absolutely sure."

"Really? Because you seem nervous. I mean, if you don't want to do this we don't have to."

Kori was so close to taking him up on his offer, but she refused to quit. She took Dick's hand. "I'm sure."

Dick paused, but then pulled Kori to the bed, sitting down besides her. He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. Dick felt a spark ignite within him. It had been so long since he last kissed Kori. His lips hadn't met with hers since the day he slipped his hand up her skirt.

Kori melted into the kiss. Perhaps this wasn't all bad. After all, Dick seemed to be taking his time, and he wasn't rushing her. Kori felt calm knowing that he wasn't just going to fly right in there.

Gradually, Dick moved his hands up Kori's leg. His hands moved slowly, he didn't want to scare Kori like he did last time. He picked up the pace just a bit and cupped her buttocks.

Kori slapped his hands.

Dick broke the kiss. "What was that for?"

"What was what for?" Kori asked, confused.

"You slapped my hands away."

"I did?"

Dick nodded.

"I didn't even notice... Sorry."

"It's alright. Now, where were we," Dick grinned and kissed Kori again, placing his hands back where they were before. To his surprise, Kori again slapped his hands, this time she even slapped his head. "Ow! Kori, what the hell?"

"I'm sorry! It's instinct. Let's try again."

Dick rubbed his head. "How about we don't."

"Come on, I promise I won't slap you this time."

"How about we try something different," Dick suggested. Kori paused but nodded her head. "Close your eyes."

"But--"

Dick leaned in and kissed Kori on the lips. It was a slow and long kiss that left Kori with a dreamy expression on her face. "Close your eyes."

Kori did as she was told, still in a dreamy state of mind.

Dick took her arms and raised them above her head. He ran his hands down her arms and they landed at the rim of Kori's shirt. Without a moments hesitation. Dick pulled Kori's shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor. He couldn't stop the grin that formed on his lips.

"So your bra is purple, huh. Nice."

Kori blushed a crimson red and covered herself.

"No, no, no, none of that." Dick cooed, removing Kori's hands and kissing her knuckles. He kissed his way up her arm, going past her shoulder and kissing her neck. Slowly the descended upon the bed with Dick on top.

And that's when realization sunk in.

Kori realized that she wasn't ready. She had fooled herself into believing that she was. She had let everything go to her head. The fear, the words, everything. Her thoughts were so consumed with Dick and pleasing him, that she ignored her own feelings. Dick had even asked her to be honest and she lied. She should have told him that she was having doubts. He would have understood.

Kori couldn't go through with this. This needed to stop.

"Dick... stop. Please... just stop." Kori said, pushing him away. She quickly stood up and grabbed her shirt, putting it on.

"Kori, what's wrong?" Dick asked in concern. Everything was fine up until now.

"I lied to you. And I know it was wrong but I did it anyway... I'm not ready."

"Kori, if you wasn't ready why did you even suggest that we do it? You said you were sure."

"I'm sorry, Dick, I'm so sorry," Kori responded tearfully. "I was afraid of losing you and I wanted to make you happy."

Dick stood up and wrapped his arms around Kori, holding her close. "You're an idiot, you know that? I'm happy when you're happy, and I would never want you to do something you're not comfortable with. Kori, sometimes you need to be more selfish and think about what you want, and what makes you happy."

"But I... I thought that this is what you wanted."

"I do, but not like this. I don't want to force you into something you're not ready for," Dick said softly, kissing the top of her head. "I love you."

"I know but... Kitten said that you would dump me if I didn't have sex with you."

Dick looked Kori in the eyes, his face serious. "I would _never _do that. Understand?"

Kori nodded and leaned into his embrace. "... purple."

"Huh?"

"Before you asked me what color my panties were. It's purple."

Dick smirked. "Nice."

"Hey, Dick. I don't want to ruin the moment but... what do we do with the condoms/"

"I think I have an idea..."

TT

Raven turned to the next page in her novel. The night had gone by like a breeze. Not that long ago she had put Ryan down for a nap. Raven was truly surprised at how easy babysitting really was. Well, at least for her it was.

She heard the front door open and sat up. "Kori?"

Kori stepped into the living room. "Hey, Raven. What are you still doing up?"

"Waiting for you," Raven answered. "So... did you--"

"We didn't do anything," Kori answered, knowing exactly what Raven's question was. "Dick and I have decided to wait for the right time."

"That was a very grown up decision," Raven said, mocking a motherly voice. She rose a brow. "What's that in your hand?"

"Oh, it's a balloon animal. Dick wanted me to give it to you," Kori replied, handing Raven a balloon that was shaped like a lion. Making balloon animals was a talent Dick had learned back when he was in the circus. "Well, I'm going to bed. Good night, Raven."

"Night, Kori."

"Oh, one more thing," Kori paused before leaving the living room. "That balloon animal you're holding is made of condoms."

Kori then left giggling.

Raven looked at the thing in her hand, disgusted. She dropped it to the floor and wiped her hands along side her jeans. "Ew!"

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO jcyz, cookiesruletheworld, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, robxxstarxx3, Trimacle, vivacobra, toonfan820, xxScriblezxx, tennisgal456, Agent of the Divine One, RavenSis, StarReader86, Ace.04, BerryDrops, Olivia, Affinitive, Daniella, featherpen13 AND cookiegurl15 FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.**

**TO cookiesruletheworld: I MANAGED TO GET THE CHAPTER POSTED IN TIME. HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT VACATION.**

**TO featherpen13: LET ME KNOW WHICH COUPLE, OR COUPLES THAT YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT SO THAT I CAN ANSWER YOUR QUESTION FULLY.**

**TO robxxstarxx3: WE'LL BE SEEING MORE OF RAVEN AND LEON COME CHAPTER 24. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING AND REVIEWING.**

**TO Olivia: I'M GLAD YOU WERE ABLE TO GET A LAUGH OUT OF LAST CHAPTER. THANKS FOR READING AND REVIEWING.**

**TO Daniella: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR COMPLIMENTS, IT MEANS A LOT TO ME THAT YOU THINK SO HIGHLY OF MY WORK. THANKS FOR READING AND REVIEWING, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: BABY SHOWER**

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	22. Baby shower

As of lately, Jade had been feeling discouraged. Currently she was in her fifth month of pregnancy, and it was getting so much more difficult. With school, doctor appointments, gaining weight and midnight cravings, Jade was exhausted.

Of course Roy was there to hold her hand, but he could only do so much. After all Roy had a lot on his plate too. Not only did he have to deal with her mood swings, but he also had school and work. Plus he accompanied her to every doctor appointment.

At the end of the day the two were glad to snuggle into bed and get some much needed rest. They were both exhausted and rest had become a luxury.

Their emotions didn't go unnoticed by Jenn.

Jenn was consumed in worry for her friends. She hated to see Jade and Roy with miserable expressions on their faces. So, she came up with a plan that would cheer them both up.

She was going to throw them a baby shower.

But in order to do that she needed help. So, Jenn rounded up a small group of her friends, the one's that were closest to Roy and Jade, and told them her idea.

Currently Jenn, Wally, Toni, Alain, Ollie and Dinah were in the living room of Ollie's home. Roy and Jade were out at another doctor's appointment, giving them all time to discuss the baby shower without either of the parents-to-be finding out. Jenn wanted the baby shower to be a surprise.

"Okay, if we can all pull together we can make this the best damn baby shower ever," Jenn said with determination flashing in her pink eyes. "Now who with me?"

The others eagerly agreed. A baby shower is just what Jade and Roy needed to lift their spirits.

"Good, because I would have made you all helped anyway," Jenn said, removing a small notebook from her bag. Now I've assigned duties to all of you. Ollie, you'll be in charge of food," Jenn ripped a page from her notebook and handed it to him. "That's a list of foods that upsets Jade, and on the back is a list of her favorites as well as Roy's. I also have the number for a bakery there. I want the best damn chocolate cake ever for the baby shower."

"Whatever you say, captain." Ollie responded, giving a mock salute.

"Wally, I want you to contact our friends and inform them of the baby shower. I've already contacted Jade's dad," Jenn snapped her fingers. "That reminds me... Wally, I need you to come with me to the mall. I need to find the perfect present to give to Roy and Jade."

"Can I sign my name on the gift card?"

"... Sure."

"Sweet." Wally grinned and leaned back, kicking his feet on to the table and putting his hands behind his head.

"Okay, now the most important task will be decorating the living room for the baby shower," Jenn pointed out. "I need two feminine people for this job. Dinah and Alain, I'm trusting you with this one."

Toni nearly fell out of her chair.

"Alright, you all have your assignments. Now I need to go and find the perfect present. Come on, Wally."

With that said and done, Wally and Jenn left.

"How could she not pick me to decorate," Toni inquired, pouting. She crossed her arms. "What the hell, I'm feminine. I should kick her ass for that."

TT

Jenn was looking for an exemplary gift to give Roy and Jade. It couldn't just be nice, it had to be perfect. She was the aunt to their child after all. She couldn't give her niece, or nephew, a bad present. She wanted to be one of those cool aunts, and what better way to do that then have a head start.

So, with this in mind, Jenn and Wally set out looking for the perfect gift.

Unfortunately that was easier said than done and their search for the perfect gift kept coming up short. So far the happy couple had visited five stores, and not one of them had anything with enough exemplary qualities.

Jenn was starting to get frustrated. And to top it off, Wally was getting restless, and when restless he could be _extremely_ annoying in Jenn's opinion.

"_Jennnnn_," Wally whined as he followed Jenn into yet another store. "I'm _bored_."

"I know, Wally. You've said that about ten times already," Jenn snapped. She sighed and tried to regain her composure. She was here to shop, not attack Wally. "Let's just go in here and look around. If we don't find anything I promise to take you to the arcade."

"Really," the smile on Wally's face was blinding, and despite thinking that she would regret it, she nodded her head. Wally punched his fist into the air delighted with her response. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the store. "Woohoo! Let's get this over with!"

Jenn immediately detached herself from the overly excited teenage boy. He could be such a child at time that it was embarrassing. "Slow down there. We need to take our time."

"B-but... arcade--"

"Listen here buddy," Jenn narrowed her eyes and poked Wally in the chest rather roughly. "I'm a girl. And as a girl, I demand the right to shop in peace. Plus, you should know better than to rush me while I'm at the mall."

Wally had a goofy expression on his face. "You are so hot when you're in control."

Jenn smiled at him and chuckled.

Moving past Wally, Jenn ventured deeper into the stores. She past by a row of blankets and ran her fingers among them. Jenn shook her head. She didn't quite care for the way the fabric felt. Passing by a few more things Jenn was ready to give up hope, but that's when she spotted the perfect gift.

Right there in plain sight to see was a cradle. It was an ordinary cradle but Jenn was drawn to it. Stepping up to it Jenn ran her fingers over the smooth wood, her fingers brushing against a craved design on the railing.

"Wally, come over here," Jenn called out. Wally came to her side quickly and Jenn smiled. "Take a look at this beauty. It's perfect."

"It's two hundred dollars." Wally pointed out, the tag in his hand.

"What, no way," Jenn snatched the tag from Wally's hand, her eyes going wide. Just like Wally said, the cradle was priced at two hundred. She slapped a hand to her face, groaning. "There is no way we can afford this."

TT

Dinah set a large book in front of Alain and smiled. The two were in Ollie's home office, and were about to discuss their ideas on how to decorate the baby shower. It was okay to discuss the plans at this time and area since Toni had taken Roy and Jade out to lunch. Toni had assigned herself the duty of being a distraction for Roy and Jade.

"I'm really excited to be working with you, Dinah," Alain said. "I think it's great that Jenn chose us to work on this. You do have elegant taste."

"Why thank you, Alain," Dinah smiled at the compliment. Alain was a charming young boy, much different than Roy. When she first met Roy the boy had asked if those were real, 'those' being her breast. "Let's get started shall we."

"Okay," Alain took out his notebook filled with ideas. "Should we start with colors or themes?"

"Let's do colors first," Dinah answered, taking out a thin stripe of paper that had color samples. "I was thinking our main color should be pink."

Alain rose a brow. "Why pink?"

"Well because Jade is going to have a girl of course."

"But Roy and Jade don't even know the gender of the baby yet. How can you be so sure?"

"Because I'm a woman, and a woman always knows," Dinah crossed her arms. "Why, is there a problem with pink?"

"Well, no. I was just thinking that blue could be the main attraction."

"Blue?"

"What's wrong with blue?" Alain inquired, the way Dinah said it made it seem like there was a problem with the color. And blue just so happened to be his favorite color.

"Blue is just so... typical and plain. It's boring." Dinah answered nonchalantly.

"It is not." Alain bit back indignantly.

"Oh this is just silly," Dinah said. She didn't want to start an argument over some colors. Besides, her and Alain needed to work together. Jenn was depending on them. "Why don't you tell me your theme idea for the baby shower."

"I was thinking we could do something simple and just have some normal baby-like decorations. You know like, cradles, rattles and toys. Things of that nature."

"That's an... interesting idea."

"You don't like it do you?" Alain asked dryly.

"To be honest... no." Dinah sighed. She thought this would be an easy task, clearly it wasn't.

"What's your theme idea, Dinah?"

"Oh, well, I was thinking we could use the stork for the theme."

"Dinah, I don't think Roy and Jade would like some ugly bird as their theme for the baby shower."

Dinah narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying that you don't like my idea?"

"No, I didn't say that. I just think it's a horrible idea."

"You know, you can be very rude when you want to be." Dinah pointed out, glaring at the teenage boy in front of her.

"Yeah, well, so can you." Alain responded, glaring right back at her.

Clearly this decorating thing was going to take longer than they thought.

TT

Jenn released a dejected sigh. Currently her and Wally were at the food court, and while Wally was talking, she paid him no mind. Her mind had drifted off to that cradle she saw the other day. It was the perfect gift and yet she couldn't get it because it was too expensive. Jenn released another sigh and dropped her forehead on to the table.

"You're not still upset over that du--... cradle are you?" Wally was careful with his words. The last thing he wanted was for Jenn to get mad at him.

"If I am?" Jenn raised her fist, a clear warning for Wally that she was not in the mood for any negative comments.

Wally took the hint. "Well... I know that you're bummed, but it's not your fault. That cradle is way too expensive. Why would a damn cradle be so expensive anyway?"

"I have no idea. But it is _so_ perfect for the baby. I mean, did you take a look at that carved design?"

"I guess it's... pretty sweet."

"It is sweet and I have to get it." Jenn said with determination.

"Uh... I hate to bust your bubble sweetheart, but how do you plan on doing that?"

"I have absolutely no idea." Jenn replied, slumping in her seat. She then punched Wally in the arm.

"Ow," Wally rubbed his arm. "What was that for/"

"For calling me sweetheart."

"Touchy."

"Quit goofing around, Wally," Jenn commanded. "We need to figure out how we can get that cradle."

Just then, a man with a microphone in his hand stepped on to a small makeshift stage that was set up in the mall. His location wasn't that far from where Wally and Jenn were sitting and they got a good view of him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please?"

People stopped and turned their heads towards the makeshift stage, their attention focused on the man.

"First of all, I would like to introduce myself as the store manager to the new sports store opening in three days. To give Sport-Mania a kick start," the man holding the microphone grinned at his pun. "I'm giving away two hundred dollars!"

The audience smiled and clapped. Jenn and Wally stood up, the man's announcement having caught their attention.

"But if you want the prize you gotta play the game," the man, yet again, grinned at his pun. "All you gotta do is keep one hand on the sports van." The man pointed at the van to his left which was painted with numerous sporting tools, such as the picture of a football which was painted on to the hood of the van. "The last person standing with his or her hand on the van wins the prize!"

"Wally, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Jenn had a wide smile on her face. This was the answer to their money problem.

"Yeah... That guy has some good puns."

Jenn slapped her forehead. "No you idiot. I'm thinking we should enter that contest. If we win we can get the money we need to buy the cradle."

"Can I finish my fries first?"

Jenn took hold of Wally's ear, ignoring his protest and cries of pain, and pulled him towards the sports van.

TT

Jenn leaned against the sports van, her hand pressed against the door. So far three hours had passed by and she, along with nine other contestants, still had their hands pressed firmly against the van. By her side was Wally, not as a contestant, but for support. During the first hour of the competition he had removed his hand, tricked by the allure of food brought over by the man who announced the contest.

Wally couldn't refuse a free chili dog.

Jenn sighed. She was beginning to get restless. Right now she wanted nothing more than to let go, but she knew she couldn't. Not if she wanted that money to get that cradle. But it looked like the other players were just as determined as she was.

"How you holdin' up babe?" Wally took this opportunity to call Jenn some pet names, knowing she wouldn't take her hand off the van. Since he was a safe distance away she wouldn't be able to hit him with her free hand either.

"Wally, come here." Jenn had a plan that she needed to share with him, and she didn't want the other contestants finding out.

"Oh no," Wally shook his head. "You just want to hit me again like last time."

"I promise I won't hit you," Jenn hissed. "Just come over here. Now."

"Fine, but only because I want to. Not because you told me to."

"Sure, whatever," Jenn muttered. She would let Wally believe that he was the one in control, just this once. Once Wally was close enough she whispered her plan to him. Wally's eyes went wide. "So are you going to help me?"

"Jenn, are you sure you want to _cheat_?" Wally whispered.

Jenn nodded. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win that prize money."

Wally had a goofy grin on his face. The thought of Jenn cheating at a game was thrilling to him. "You are so _hot_."

"So are you going to help me or not?"

"Well... what's in it for me?"

Jenn smirked and leaned against him to whisper something in his ear.

Wally's eyes went wide and he blushed. "Hot damn, I'm in!"

"Okay, I want you to start picking off the girls first."

Wally did as he was told and set out. He took a quick minute to observe each girl carefully. There was four of them. Once he was done observing he left to the food court.

Getting rid of all of the girls was an easy task for Wally. He simply went to the food court and looked for some single guys. Once he found a small group of guys, who looked pretty decent (he wasn't to sure), he paid them each five bucks to come with him. Getting them to walk by the van easily caught their attention and the girls ran away following them.

Jenn gave Wally a thumbs up and he winked at her.

Seeing as how easily the first plan went, Wally tried it again, this time paying a small group of girls five bucks each to get the boys attention. The second time around wasn't as successful, seeing as only two of the boys ran off to follow the group of girls.

Wally didn't know what else to do so he resorted to begging.

"Come on, Noah," Wally had learned one of the players name while begging. "What do I have to do to get you to leave this van?"

"Wally, was it," Noah inquired, clearly annoyed. Wally nodded his head yes. "Listen, I'm not leaving this van until I get that prize money. Winners never quit, and quitters never win. So you can leave me alone now. Your presence is invading my personal space."

Wally smirked. "Personal space, huh..."

Wally grinned and began to tickle Noah's sides, causing the teen to try and swat him away. One hand wasn't enough and Noah eventually removed his hand from the van and pushed Wally away.

The man who announced the game blew a horn. "Sorry dude, but you are outta this game."

Noah glared at Wally and stormed off.

"Okay contestants," announced the owner of the Sport-Mania store. "You all have ten minutes for a bathroom break. Move out."

Only three contestants remained: Jenn, a little boy who looked to be around the age of thirteen, and a grown male who was on the cubby side. Only the grown man left for the bathroom break. Wally decided to follow him.

The man made his way to the mens room, unbeknownst that a teenage boy was following him. Once the man was inside the mens room Wally strode over and stood by the door. He kept his hand on the door handle, whistling innocently. There was no way that man was getting out of the mens room until those ten minutes were up.

A couple of minutes passed by and Wally was struggling to keep the door closed. The man was on the other side, pulling at the door to try and get it to open. Wally glanced at his wrist. If he let go now their was no chance that the man would make it back to the van on time. The ten minutes were already almost up.

Wally let go of the door and ran as fast as he could before the man could even catch sight of him.

"Ten minutes are up," announced the sports store owner. "That leaves only two players left!"

Wally returned to Jenn panting. "Who's the last player?"

Jenn pointed towards a little boy who had freckles and was wearing glasses. He was sitting on his bike, which was obviously new due to the tag still attached to the handle-bar. His hand was planted firmly against the van.

Wally scoffed. "Piece of cake."

The little boy blinked at them and pushed his glasses up with his free hand.

Wally decided to take care of this as quickly as possible. "Excuse me little boy with glasses, but I'm gonna need you to step away from the van."

"Excuse me big dork with fair hair, but why don't you get lost."

Wally was speechless. He was just insulted by a little kid. He glared at the boy. "Listen here short stuff, either you can let go of the van or--"

"Or what," the boy cut Wally off, glaring right back. "You going to beat me up? Try it loser and I'll knock your block off. I have mad ninja skills. Plus, if you touch me, I'll get security. I wonder what they would do to you if they found out that you're picking on a little kid."

Wally's mouth was agape. This little kid was evil.

Jenn stepped up, hand still on the van. "Listen kid, we really need this money. What do we have to do to get you to let go?"

"You can bribe me all you want, it's not going to work."

"What if I showed you my bra strap?" Jenn asked bluntly.

"Okay." the boy answered quickly.

Wally stood by the boy, eager to see Jenn's bra strap as well. "Go on, Jenn."

Jenn smirked. Using her free hand she pulled at her shirt, exposing her collar bone and some of her shoulder, as well as the black strap to her bra.

"Totally worth it." the boy murmured, removing his hand from the van. He had a dreamy expression on his face as he walked away.

Jenn chuckled. "If I'd have shown him my whole bra I could have gotten his bike," she pointed at her breast. "These things are awesome!"

The announcer blew his horn. "We have our winner! Will the girl with pink hair please come claim her prize."

Jenn smirked and went over to the announcer, taking an envelop he offered her.

"Congratulations." he said, shaking Jenn's hand.

Jenn smiled and turned to Wally. "C'mon, we have to go get that cradle."

"She is so hot...," Wally murmured to himself. He stomped his foot before following her. "Why is she so hot today?!"

TT

Jenn looked around Ollie's living room which was decorated with green and yellow balloons and streamers. "This place looks amazing. Alain, Dinah, you two did a great job."

"That's were you're wrong, Jenn," Toni said. "Those two couldn't stop arguing. All this that you see here was done by me. I'm lady, why can't anyone freakin' see that!"

"You're right, Toni, and I'm sorry. Next time I need some feminine charm to help decorated I'll call you and Alain."

Alain slapped his forehead. Vic, Dick and Gar snickered.

"So how much longer until Ollie comes back with Roy and Jade?" Kori asked, taking a seat by Karen on the couch.

"Any minute now." Dinah answered, her eyes on her watch.

Leaning against the wall was Wally and Jenn. Jenn turned her head towards Wally, only to see him giving her puppy dog eyes. He had a lopsided grin on his face and was wiggling his eye brows at her.

"Alright fine." Jenn looked around to make sure no one was looking, namely the three adults in the room (one who just so happened to be her mother), and pulled her shirt to the side, showing Wally her bra strap.

"Score!" Wally cheered loudly, earning a few stares.

"Okay, what was that about?" Raven inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing." Jenn answered quickly, smiling innocently.

"Hey, here comes Ollie with Roy and Jade." announced Gar, stepping away from the window.

There was a moment of disarray before the excitement calmed down to a minimum. All eyes watched the door in anticipation. The knob turned slowly before opening up wide. Ollie stepped in first with Roy and Jade right behind him. They walked into the living room.

"Why is it so dark in here?" Jade asked.

Suddenly, the lights turned on.

"Surprise!" was the union shout of the guest waiting in the living room.

"Holy shit," Roy breathed out, looking around the room and at his friends. "What is all this?"

"Isn't it obvious," Luke began, stepping forward. He had hid behind the others purposely. "This is a baby shower for you two."

Jade's eyes rimmed with tears and she ran into her father's open arms. "Dad, it's so good to see you! I can't believe you're actually here."

"Well I couldn't miss my own daughter's baby shower."

"How did you guys do all this without us knowing?" Roy asked, glancing at his friends.

"It was all Jenn's doing," Alain answered. "She rounded us up and told us what to do."

"Jenn," Jade wrapped her best friend in a hug. "Thank you so much."

"Hey, don't go mushy on me," Jenn said. "Now, what would you rather do first, eat or open presents?"

Jade couldn't resist and chose to open presents first. She couldn't wait to find out what kind of gifts her friends got the baby. Taking a seat by Roy on the couch the others all sat around her and Roy.

The first gift was opened by Roy and was from Gar. Gar had brought the unborn baby an assortment of toys which included a giant teddy bear, a rattle, and much more. Jade opened the next gift, which was from Jenn's mother Nicole. Nicole's gift, like Gar's, was an assortment of things. Her gift had necessary baby utensils such as bottles and bibs, and there was even a baby memory book to capture special moments, as well as other trinkets.

Alain went next and handed the happy couple his gift. His gift was a baby bath.

"Figures he would pick something that has to deal with water." Roy joked.

Raven and Karen went next. The two had poured their money together to buy the baby a high chair. After them Vic presented his gift which was a car seat. The others weren't at all surprised by his gift.

"He always has cars on his brain." Dick said with a laugh.

"Oh yeah," Vic crossed his arms. "Well what did you get?"

Dick handed his gift to Roy and Jade ripped off the wrapping paper. Dick's gift was a baby swing.

Kori went next after Dick. her gift to the baby was a bassinet. Dinah then presented her gift which was a play pin. Luke went next. His present was a red stroller. Toni went after him and handed Jade an envelop.

Jade opened it and rose a brow. "It's a picture of a tv."

"Yeah I know. The store should be swinging by here tomorrow to drop the tv off." Toni said.

"Toni, you're seriously going to give Roy and I, our unborn baby, a sixty-two inch tv?"

"That's how I was raised," Toni stated. "My mom would sit me down in front of the tube and put on some cartoons."

"This is so generous of you, Toni. But we can't accept this--"

"Like hell we can't," Roy cut in. "Jade, if Toni wants to give us a tv then let her give us a tv."

"Okay fine. But you better not become a couch potato."

"He will." Ollie predicted.

Roy looked at Ollie and smirked. If Toni got them a television he could only imagine what Ollie got them. "So what did you get us, Ollie?"

Ollie smirked. He could tell by the look on Roy's face that he was expecting an extravagant gift. It was time to burst his bubble. "My gift to you is a promotion. Congrats kid."

"A promotion," Roy looked disgusted. "You're a cheap old man."

"I'm going to give you some options, Roy. Either you can take the promotion like a good little boy, or you can stay a janitor."

"Promotion it is then!" Roy replied quickly.

"Okay, open up the gift that I got you," Jenn said. Wally looked at her. "That Wally and I got you."

Together, Roy and Jade ripped off the wrapping paper. Once the wrapping paper was gone Jade and Roy were presented with a card board box with a picture of a cradle on it.

Jade gasped. "You got us a cradle! Roy, they got us a cradle!"

Jade wrapped Wally and Jenn in a tight hug. Jenn smiled. She knew the cradle would be the perfect gift.

TT

Roy eyed the colorful object in front of him with weary eyes. He then glanced down at the bat in his hand. He frowned. "Do I have to do this?"

"C'mon, Roy, it wouldn't be a party without a pinata." Toni said, wrapping a scarf around his eyes. Jade laughed at this.

"I'm not really a pinata type of person." Roy replied as Toni slowly spun him around.

Toni rolled her eyes. She went through a lot of trouble decorating, the least Roy could do was smack the pinata she brought. She thought parties were a lot more fun if a pinata was involved. "Everyone plays pinata, Roy."

"Yeah, Roy," Wally chuckled. "Hit the jackass!"

Roy pulled the scarf down from his eyes, letting it hang around his neck. He glared at Wally and wacked him with the bat.

"Ow, what--Hey!" Wally ran around the living room with Roy hot on his trail, trying to avoid the blows from the bat. The two red-heads ran out the front door.

"So...," Jenn picked up a slice of cake. "Who's hungry?"

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO mysteree101, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, Agent of the Divine One, BerryDrops, clarkLover1, Trimacle, cookiesruletheworld, Koriand'r Grayson, Daniella, jcyz, lupine-eyes, toonfan820, sweetnsxy, superanimated, RavenSis, Ace.04, xxScriblezxx, featherpen13, writing4eva, tennisgal456 AND BeastgirlRaven FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS. YOU ARE ALL SO WONDERFUL AND I'M SO GLAD YOU ARE LIKING THE STORY.**

**I HOPED YOU ALL LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: SOME ACTION BETWEEN THE COUPLES.**

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	23. Teenage love affair

Roy tapped his pen repeatedly against his notebook. So far his mind was at a blank and it was really starting to frustrate him. He sighed and leaned against his seat. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the remote on the sofa arm. He looked to his other side and saw Jade who was deep in thought. Slowly, Roy reached out his hand, his fingers inching closer to the remote.

"Don't even think about it." Jade said absently, her eyes still on her notebook, deep in thought.

"Aw c'mon, Jade," Roy whined. "I'm bored. Can't I watch a little bit of tv?"

"No. Not until we've made our decision."

"You wanna hear my decision? I say if it's a boy we call him Roy Jr. If it's a girl then we name her Jade Jr. Now can I watch tv?"

Jade narrowed her eyes. She hated the way Roy was acting right now, it was so frustrating. He was probably only acting this way because he couldn't think of any decent names.

About an hour ago Jade had suggested that her and Roy sit down and think of a name for the baby. She only had four more months of pregnancy left, and she didn't want to be stuck without a name when the baby was born. She figured if they worked on it now they wouldn't have to worry about it later. Since it was her idea she embraced it with open arms. Roy, however, clearly didn't. It was obvious by his attitude which, In Jade's opinion, could use some adjustment.

"There is no way in hell that we are naming our child Roy Jr."

"You didn't s--"

"We aren't naming the baby Jade Jr. either!"

Roy snapped his fingers and succumbed to Jade. "Fine, the tv can wait. So, how do we go about this? Do you go first or do I?"

Jade smiled. She always felt happy when she got her way. "Let's start with boy names."

"Okay." Roy slouched against the arm rest, his eyes focused on Jade. The sooner they got this over with the sooner he could watch television.

"What do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking maybe Leo."

Roy scoffed.

Jade rose a brow at his reaction and crossed her arms. "What's wrong with Leo?"

"Oh nothing, nothing at all... I just wasn't aware that you wanted to name our child after the zodiac. But it's nothing, it's a good name," Roy tapped his fingers against his knee. "Good name for maybe a lion, but whatever."

Jade rolled her eyes. "I get the point, you don't like the name," she turned her attention towards him. "What's your first choice? Besides Roy Jr."

"I don't know, I was thinking maybe Spike."

Jade chuckled, thinking it was a joke. She paused and glanced at Roy. His expression was serious. "You're not joking," Jade threw up her hands in irritation. He had the nerve to poke fun at the name she picked, yet he came up with Spike. "Why would you even consider the name Spike?"

"Cause it sounds cool." was Roy's clever response.

"It does not sound cool. That kind of name gives off the wrong impression."

"No it doesn't. It makes a kid sound tough and strong. With a name like that our baby won't be getting pick on."

"We are not naming our child Spike," Jade said firmly. "End of discussion... But not the end of the conversation entirely!"

Roy snapped his fingers. So close.

Jade sighed. So far this discussion was going nowhere. "How about we discuss boy names later. What do you have for girl names?"

Roy sighed and lifted up his notebook to see what he wrote down. "My first choice was Lian, and then I got--"

"Wait," Jade cut him off. "Lian?"

"Let me guess, you don't like it."

"Actually, I love it."

Roy rose a brow. "You do?"

"Yeah, I do," Jade smiled. "It's sweet and simple."

Roy put a hand on Jade's stomach, rubbing it gently. "Lian it is then."

It was a tender moment between the two of them, and Jade was enjoying it but she couldn't help but to smirk. She felt like playing a joke. It had been far too long since she last goofed off, and now was the perfect opportunity.

"Hey, Roy, do you think that we should pick out more names? I mean, what if we have twins," Jade tried not to laugh at the look on Roy's face. "Who knows, we may even have triplets."

Roy started to breath in an irregular fashion and he stood up abruptly. "That is not funny, Jade," he said in a shrilly voice. "So not cool!"

He stormed off, leaving Jade in a fit of laughter. She couldn't wait to tell the others about this. But for now...

Jade stood up and followed Roy's footsteps. "Come back, Roy! We still haven't picked a name for _Roy Jr_.!"

TT

Karen drummed her fingers against the table, her eyes gazing out the window to the pizzeria. Across from her sat Gar. He was sipping at his Big Gulp soda rather loudly. The two had decided to hang out since everyone else they knew was busy, plus neither of them had any plans or a date.

Karen sighed. "Is this what has become of us?"

Gar paused and looked at her curiously. "What do you mean, Karen?"

"This," she gestured to them and the place around them. "This is pathetic. We're pathetic."

"Hey!" Gar responded indignantly.

"Don't take it the wrong way, Gar. I'm just pointing it out how I see it," Karen stated, crossing her arms. "I'm just wondering how it is that we got here. We're both juniors in high school. We're cool... to a certain degree. How come we're the only ones left with nothing better to do?"

"Because we're both single," Gar concluded, his eyes narrowed. "Romance is a bitch!"

"Amen to that," Karen sighed and slouched in her seat. "Life was so much easier when boys had cooties."

"You know what we should do," Gar began. "We should make a pact. We should stop letting romance boss us around. We should boss it around, cause quite frankly I've had enough of this bullshit."

"You're right, Gar. The two of us have been pushed around so much, you with Raven and me with Vic," Karen slammed her fist against the table. "Well no more!"

"Yeah, that's the spirit!"

"So... uh, how exactly do we go about this?" Karen asked, her fierce attitude changing into curiosity.

"I have no clue," Gar confessed. "I was hoping you could tell me."

Karen slapped her forehead. It was so typical of Gar to think of something and not plan it the whole way through. That was his style of doing things, which is why sometimes people would refer to him as a klutz or goof. But even so, his words had Karen thinking about where romance stood in her life.

She had just gone through an emotional breakup and wasn't quite sure what to do now. Vic had clearly moved on, but she wasn't quite sure if she was ready to get back on the dating train. She wouldn't want what happened between Vic and her to happen again. Karen was in quite the predicament.

"Hey, Karen," Gar had pulled her away from her thoughts. Karen noticed he was pointing at something. "Isn't that the musician guy you like?"

Karen looked over at what Gar was pointing at and saw Mal by the counter. A light shade of red spread across her face and she turned back towards Gar. "His name is Mal, and who told you that I like him?"

"You just did." Gar answered with a smug smile.

"You dirty rat, you tricked me!" Karen narrowed her eyes and pointed an accusing finger at Gar.

"I did nothing of the sort," Gar claimed, the smug smile never leaving his face. Karen felt like wiping it off of his face with her fist at the moment, but lucky for Gar she restrained herself. Gar leaned forward in his seat. "Why don't you go over there and talk to him."

"What? I can't do that! Look at me, I look like a slob."

"You look fine to me," Gar knew Karen wasn't a conceited person, but she did care about her appearance and would never leave her house looking like a slob. Gar briefly wondered if she was experiencing a _moment_, a moment were nerves get to you and you judge yourself on faults you don't have. "If you want I can go and talk to him."

"What," Karen thought it was extremely sweet of Gar to offer to do something like that, but knowing him he would probably mess things up. "No way. No. Not gonna happen."

"Well then you go talk to him."

"I can't."

"Yes you can."

"No, I _can't_."

"Remember what I said about being the boss of romance? Now be the boss and talk to him."

"Don't tell me what to do."

Gar and Karen began to bicker with each other, their voices rising above a whisper. People began to stare as their arguments of 'go' and 'no' caught their attention. Their bickering caught Mal's attention and he glanced over to where Karen was sitting with Gar.

"For the last time, Gar," Karen exasperated. "No! I don't want to do it."

"Do what?"

Karen clapped her hands over her mouth to stop herself from screaming. She nervously looked up to see a smiling Mal looking down upon her. Karen could feel the heat rise to her cheeks.

"Oh... nothing." Karen chuckled sheepishly. She felt like a fool right now and didn't want Mal to know why. She would have to get Gar back for this later.

Mal looked at Karen and then at Gar. He could tell by the look on Karen's face that she was nervous, and he could tell by the look on Gar's face that he was uncomfortable.

Mal looked a Karen, feeling just a tinge of jealousy. "Are... are you two on a date?"

Gar and Karen looked at him as if he had grown a second head.

"Hell no!"

"Dude gross!"

"Why would you even think that?"

"She's like a sister to me."

Mal swallowed a laugh. Their reaction to his question was very amusing, and it was _very_ clear that they weren't on a date. Mal couldn't help but feel relieved about that.

"So, Mal," Gar looked up at the senior and smirked. Since Karen wasn't willing to be the boss he would have to do it for her. "What brings you here?"

"I was gonna grab a pizza and go head over to practice."

"Practice?"

"Yeah, me and a few friends of mine started this band in my garage."

"Wow, that's so cool," Gar grinned at Karen. "Isn't that cool, Karen?"

Karen rose a brow. Gar was acting weirder than normal. "Yeah, it is."

"Mal, you know Karen likes music a lot," began Gar. "Why not take her to go see your band?"

"He can't."

"Sure."

Karen and Mal spoke at the same time and looked at each other with baffled expressions on their faces.

"Mal, I would love to go watch your band practice," Karen began to explain. "But I wouldn't want to be a burden."

"Trust me, you wouldn't be a burden. My friends bring people by all the time," Mal smiled at Karen. "I would really like it if you were to come."

Karen smiled back at him and looked at Gar. "What about you?"

"You can come too if you want."

"Nah, my tv calls to me right now so I think I'll head on home." Gar said. Operation be the love boss was in full effect. Although most people had doubt in him, Gar is intelligent. He has a few tricks up his sleeves just like everyone else. And his first trick was to help Karen be happy. She deserved it after all that crap she went through in November.

"Okay then. My car is outside..."

"I'll be right out," Karen told Mal. "I just need to have a moment alone with Gar."

Mal nodded in understanding. He went over to the counter and grabbed his pizza box, he then left the pizzeria.

Karen waited until he was gone before looking at Gar. She smiled at him. "I so owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything," Gar said while bumping fist with Karen. "It's what friends do. Now go and enjoy yourself."

Karen gave Gar a peck on the cheek. "Thank you so much, Gar. I'll see you later."

Gar waved Karen goodbye. As she left, a small group of girls entered the pizzeria. Gar wiggled his eyebrows and grinned to himself. He made his way towards them with open arms.

"Hello ladies!"

TT

Vic was fidgety. He felt so uncomfortable and out of place right now. He glanced over at Sara, Laura, Marco, Nicole and Dan. The five of them had all but dragged him to an open-mic at some café. They were all interested in the poems and songs, but Vic wasn't. He was bored out of his mind.

Why on earth did he let Sara talk him into this, he had no idea. He didn't even like poetry or open-mic gatherings. Had the date been his pick he would have gone to the arcade. But there was no point in complaining now. He was stuck here listening to this... _crap_ they called entertainment.

The current person on stage took a bow and walked off. The audience clapped and the next person stepped up.

"Isn't this great, Vic?" Sara asked him, a smile on her face.

"Huh? Oh... uh, yeah! This is... this is really awesome." Vic lied. He didn't want to tell her the truth and risk hurting her feelings.

"So you actually like this stuff?" Dan asked. He was surprised that a guy like Vic could be into this sort of thing. He figured Vic was the type for sports and video games.

Vic nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"Some people actually like culture instead of skateboards." Nicole drawled. Dan ignored her comment and threw an arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, maybe you should go up there, Vic." suggested Laura.

"Oh no, I couldn't," Vic insisted. "_Really_, I couldn't."

"What are you, afraid of speaking in front of crowds?" Marco asked.

"Yeah," Vic quickly went with that, seeing as how he didn't know how he would get out of Laura's request. "Terrified."

The others decided to leave it at that and Vic breathed a sigh of relief when the others weren't looking. Had he gone up on stage he was positive that he would have made a fool of himself. That was the last thing he wanted. He didn't want to look like a complete idiot in front of Sara.

The waiter came by and handed them their drinks.

"Oh yes, finally." Marco said before sipping his drink.

"The only thing this needs is some booze." Laura joked.

Sara chuckled at her friends antics. "You two are a pair. Keep it up and I may stop taking you outside."

Marco and Laura stuck out their tongues and then laughed.

"Okay, I'm incredibly bored now." Dan complained.

Nicole rolled her eyes. "You can't go a day without complaining, can you?"

"No, I can not my darling." Dan smirked at the pet name he gave his girlfriend.

"Stick it."

Vic, wanting to lighten up the situation some, decided to do something he thought would be funny. "Hey guys, check this out," grabbing two straws Vic stuck them up his nose. "Funny huh?"

Nicole looked at him with disgust. "That is incredibly gross."

Laura laughed and nudged Sara in the ribs. Dan snickered and Marco shook his head. Feeling embarrassed Sara covered her face with her hands.

TT

Dick took hold of Kori's hand and gripped it tightly. He looked to his side and smiled at her. Kori smiled back at him and squeezed his hand.

Ever since the 'almost sex incident' the two had decided they needed some time to try and reconnect on a more emotional level. With all the kissing they did they had the physical part down, but they felt their emotional bond needed to be stronger. To Kori's surprise Dick was the one who suggested it.

Which is why Dick had the whole day planned for the two of them. He had cleared his schedule with Bruce, who wanted to drag him to a variety of charity balls, and told Kori his idea. He was happy that she accepted his plan with open arms.

Currently, the two of them were standing on line to get their movies tickets. Dick had let Kori pick the movie, so in a few moments he would be placed in front of some romance film. Personally he wanted to see a horror film, because he just knew that Kori would get scared and cling to him. But since they were working on being emotional and less physical, it was best if they saw a movie she wanted. And besides, maybe he would wind up liking the movie they were about to see...

Dick scoffed. Fat chance on that happening.

Finally, it was their turn. Dick and Kori stepped up to the ticket booth. Dick requested for two tickets to the movie Hopelessly In Love, but only to find out that the movie was sold out. Something that Dick was _very_ happy about.

"Would you like to see a different movie sir?" the girl behind the booth asked.

Dick desperately wanted to ask for tickets to the new horror film but reluctantly decided against it. Instead he decided to get two tickets to the latest action movie.

Once they had their tickets they grabbed a bucket of popcorn, two sodas, and went to get some good seats.

Dick put his arm around Kori and sipped at his drink.

Kori nudged him playfully. "And here I thought you weren't going to bust a move."

Dick placed a hand over his heart. "Kori, I'm hurt. When have I ever tried...," Dick paused. "Never mind. But seriously, I'm not gonna pull anything. I was serious when I said I wanted to connect emotionally."

"Okay fine, I believe you," Kori smiled playfully in a teasing manner. "It's just every time we go to a movie theater you do the fake yawn and arm over the shoulders move."

"Ah, but I didn't yawn now did I? I just put my arm over your shoulder. Hence, no move."

Kori giggled and leaned on to his shoulder.

"Damn, Kori, throw yourself at me." Dick joked. Kori laughed and told him to shut up. The movie would be starting soon and she didn't want to miss anything.

"Dick? Kori?"

Dick and Kori turned their heads to the side. There, in the pathway, stood none other than Babs herself.

"Babs," Dick wasn't too happy to see her. He wanted his day with Kori to go without any interruptions. "Small world huh."

"I am so glad to see you two here. Do you mind if I sit with you guys?"

"Well actually--"

"Thanks," making her way in the row of seats, Babs pushed Kori out of her seat and sat in the middle of her and Dick. "It's so nice of you to let me sit here. Now I don't feel so alone."

"Uh... no problem." Kori looked over Babs shoulder and at Dick. He mouthed a few words but all Kori could do was shrug in response. She admitted to herself that she didn't want Babs here, but she didn't want to be rude and send her off. Kori sighed and leaned back in her seat. No use in complaining about it.

Dick scowled and crossed his arms. He was not happy with the current situation.

TT

Raven cuddled into Leon's side, feeling content. She was over at his apartment, watching a movie. It was too much of a risk to go out to a movie theater, so they decided to settle in on his couch and watch a movie on his television. Raven had to admit, she liked this situation much better than a movie theater.

Not only was she on a comfortable couch snuggling with her boyfriend, but she was also _alone_ with her boyfriend. She wasn't in room filled with people. Raven had Leon all to herself and she liked it this way.

Being alone with Leon was so much better than being out in public with him. She didn't have to hide her face or double check to see if anyone was looking before she kissed him. They didn't have to talk in secret or in code, they could just be themselves and be free to do what they wanted.

Raven sighed, a small smile on her face. "This is, by far, my favorite holiday season yet."

"And why is that?" Leon asked, looking down at her purple eyes.

"You're going to think it's cheesy." Raven said, avoiding looking at him to hide her blush.

"When have I ever thought anything you said was cheesy?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Fine... It's the best because... I'm here spending it with you. Cheesy right?"

"No, not at all," Leon put a finger under her chin and made her look at him. "I think it's romantic."

Raven smiled sheepishly. "You're making me blush."

Leon smirked. "I know. I think you look beautiful when you blush. But then again, you always look beautiful."

"You always know the right thing to say...," Raven's half-lidded eyes closed fully as she leaned in to kiss Leon. Unfortunately for her, before she could kiss him, the phone began to ring. Raven mentally swore. "You should probably go get that."

"It can wait," Leon leaned in to finish what they started but the sound of his phone cut him off. He groaned. "Hold on one second."

Getting up Leon made his way over to his phone, or what he liked to call 'the mood spoiler', and unplugged it. It was his day off, and his day with Raven, he didn't want any more interruptions. Making his way back to the couch he reclaimed his seat.

"Now, where were w--"

Leon was cut off by Raven who jumped him when he sat back down, causing him to fall on his back on the couch. She crashed her lips against his in a passionate kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers getting tangled in his hair. Instinctively, Leon's arms wrapped themselves around her waist.

Best holiday season yet indeed.

TT

Jenn made her way over to Wally's house with a wide smile on her face. For some reason she felt giddy. She had no idea why, it was probably just the holiday season. Whatever the reason, she was in a good mood.

Stepping up to Wally's front door Jenn rang the door bell. It didn't take long for someone to answer. And that someone just so happened to be Wally's uncle Barry.

Barry stepped out of the front door with a loose tie and a briefcase in hand. "Hello, Jenn. Wally is upstairs in his room," he side stepped around the pink haired girl. "Excuse me, but I need to get to work."

"No problem. It was nice seeing you." Jenn called out to the adult male as he pulled out of the drive way in his car. Laughing to herself Jenn stepped into the house and closed the door.

Jenn made her way up the stairs and to Wally's room. When she stepped inside she found her boyfriend in bed with a Santa's hat covering half of his face and snoring loudly. His left arm and leg was hanging off of the bed and he was in nothing but white boxer shorts and t-shirt. Jenn laughed at the sight, wishing she had a camera. She removed her jacket and placed it on his chair before stepping up to his bed.

"Hey sleeping beauty," Jenn removed the hat from his head. "Wake up!"

"Five more minutes..." Wally murmured, rolling onto his side. Jenn couldn't help but think that he looked absolutely adorable right now.

Jenn sighed. "Maybe I should let him sleep... Nah," leaning in close Jenn yelled as loud as she could. "Wally!"

Wally yelped and fell off his bed in surprise. Jenn laughed. Now she _really_ wished she had camera.

"Jenn... uh," Wally stood up and stretched, yawning as he did so. "What are you doing here?"

"I finished helping my mom in the shop so I thought I'd pay you a visit," Jenn leaned against his dresser. "Why are you so tired?"

"Remember that part time job I got?"

"The Santa's little helpers thing?"

"Yeah, that. Well earlier today Santa was a no show, so the boss man put me in the fat suit. I thought being an elf was bad but... all those little kids kept bouncing on my leg," Wally sat back down on his bed and rubbed his neck. "And then one of them pulled off the beard I was wearing..."

Jenn rose a brow. Wally seemed almost scared. "And then what happened?"

"After they found out I wasn't really Santa they attacked me! Those little demons pulled at my hair, they bit me and it was just horrible! I don't even wanna be an elf after this ordeal."

"So quit."

"I can't. I need the extra money to... uh, well... Pay for your Christmas gift."

"If you need extra money you must be getting me something extravagant," Jenn sat next to Wally and rubbed his arm. "And that something is...?"

"A secret," Wally said, laying on his bed. "A very expensive secret that got me mauled by little kids."

"Aw, I almost feel guilty for waking you up. Almost," Jenn laughed at the look Wally gave her. "So where's your aunt?"

"Out shopping. It might be awhile before she gets back."

"Wait a minute. We are all alone and you're telling me this just now? What is wrong with you?"

"I got my ass kicked by little kids, that's what is wrong with me!"

Jenn rolled her eyes and took off her boots.

Wally rose a brow. "What are you doing?"

Jenn placed the Santa's hat on top of her head. "Giving you an early present," Jenn then climbed on top of him, straddling him. "You know, for being such a _good boy_."

TT

Alain had come to realize that Toni was a very frisky, wild, and mischievous person. She liked to do things that could get her in trouble because she liked the thrill of getting caught. Her rebellious side was charming, if not a bit crazy. But Alain had to admit, he liked that side of her.

Alain always thought of himself as a plain and dull type of person. He never did things that he knew would get himself into trouble, though he did get roped into a few things. Sometimes he could be so... _uptight_, which is why he was glad to be with Toni. He loved her antics, and he loved how she could take him away from his comfort zone. Which is why he went along with some of her wild schemes.

But today, he was beginning to think that he should have just stayed at home. But no, he had decided to go over to Toni's house. And now he was in a _very_ uncomfortable, and _very_ awkward situation.

It all started in Toni's room. The couple of ten months were bored and had nothing to do, so Toni had suggested they play a game. Alain willingly agree, hoping to do something active, like use Toni's indoor swimming pool.

Toni had smiled at him with a mischievous glint in her eye and Alain knew he had signed himself up for trouble.

Toni had wanted to play strip poker.

At first Alain protested the idea and refused, but after awhile Toni made him cave. And so they began to play the game, with Toni taking the lead and Alain's shirt along with it. Alain had been on a losing streak and was reduced to his jeans and boxers.

Then abruptly he had a comeback, taking all of Toni's clothes except her bra and panties.

But then Toni once again took the lead and Alain had to remove another article of clothing.

Just as he was about to pull off his jeans Carl walked in.

Alain gulped as he and Toni sat on the couch in the living room, fully dressed. Carl was in the other room, talking with Toni's mother over the phone who was out doing some shopping. Carl's voice was loud enough to hear and Alain was getting nervous.

Ever since his game of Twister with Toni, Carl had never been too fond of Alain. He never said it, but Alain was sure that Carl didn't like him. Which is why the teenage boy was scared to death right now. Carl was an extremely powerful man. For all Alain knew, Carl could have his body dumped in an alley way like those mobster films Toni was fond of.

Thinking of Toni, Alain looked to his side. His girlfriend looked as if she hadn't a care in the world. She was slouching in her seat and chewing gum, as if nothing had happened. She was the opposite of Alain who was sitting up straight with his hands folded in his lap, much like a little school boy would do.

Carl walked into the room, eyes ablaze. "Toni, you better have a good explanation for this."

Toni rolled her eyes. She hated how Cark always tried being a parent. "I do."

"Well?" Carl crossed his arms, waiting.

"Alain and I were bored so we decided to play strip poker."

Alain hung his head low. Why couldn't Toni just make up a lie? Why did she have to dig an even deeper hole?

"Strip poker?! You are far too young for such games! Further more... Are you even listening?!"

"Yes." Toni continued to hum and bob her head. She was playing a song inside her head and hadn't heard a single word.

"Repeat what I just said."

"What I just said." Toni repeated, smirking.

"Before that!"

"Oh, you mean before that," Toni laughed. "You said, blah blah blah."

"Toni." both Alain and Carl scolded at the same time. Both males looked at each other in surprise. However Carl quickly resumed his angry face which included a frown and narrowed eyes.

"Oh, what's the big deal," Toni exasperated. "We've been over this type of thing before."

"Yes, but before you had clothes on!"

"Oh for crying out loud! It's not like we were having sex. Get over yourself, you're not my real father so stop acting like it."

"I may as well be your father," Carl snapped. "I put food on the table, I put a roof over your head, and I put money in your wallet. The least you could do is show some respect and follow my rules."

Toni scowled and crossed her arms. "Bite me."

Alain bit his lips. He knew Toni was strong willed and never one to back down, but he couldn't help but feel that she was taking this a bit too far.

Carl crossed his arms. "Fine. If that's the way you want to be I could always bring up the idea of boarding school to your mother. Perhaps an all girls boarding school."

"Fine...," Toni swallowed her pride. "I'm sorry. Can we go now?"

"Will you keep all of your clothes on?"

"We will sir," Alain answered quickly before Toni could say a witty, or sarcastic, comment. "Promise."

Carl only nodded and left the room.

Alain glanced at his girlfriend. "Toni..."

Toni stormed off, heading up the stairs. Alain followed her and noticed she was heading towards her room. She flung her bedroom door open and plopped down on her bed. Alain silently closed the door behind them.

"That man is so infuriating," Toni all but shouted. "Ugh! If I could I would--"

"Why do you dislike him so much?" Alain asked softly.

Toni's face softened. "What?"

"Carl. Why do you dislike him?"

"I don't dislike him. Why would you think that?"

"Because... well... every time you two are in the same room you go out of your way to verbally attack him."

"So what if I do," Toni asked nonchalantly. "I have every right to be mean to him. He's always trying to play daddy." Toni scoffed. "I don't need a father... I didn't when I was younger and I don't now."

Alain looked at Toni sadly, knowing that her past had scarred her.

"So what do you want to do now that strip poker is out?"

"I have an idea." Alain replied softly, climbing into bed along side Toni and snuggling into her side. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her as close as possible.

"What are you... What about Carl?"

"I don't see the problem with what we're doing. We both have clothes on. He never said anything about not being in bed together."

Toni smirked. "Why, Alain, I do believe I am rubbing off on you. Welcome to the dark side. How do you feel?"

"I think the real question is how do you feel."

"Well... now that I'm in your arms," Toni smiled and turned to face him. "I feel... content."

Alain kissed her forehead. "I'm glad."

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO BerryDrops, Hidden Iris, Koriand'r Grayson, mysteree101, tennisgal456, jcyz, featherpen13, Daniella, clarkLover1, Olivia, Ace.04, xxScriblezxx, cookiesruletheworld, RavenSis, Agent of the Divine One, romanceluver95 AND ravencherithgirl FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS. YOU GUYS ARE ALL SO GREAT, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT.**

**TO Daniella, I'M GLAD YOU'RE LOVING THE STORY. THE ENDING OF LAST CHAPTER WAS FUN WRITING. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING.**

**TO clarkLover1, I'M GLAD YOU THOUGHT THE CHAPTER WAS CUTE. I LOVED WRITING IT. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING.**

**TO Olivia, I WENT TO A BABY SHOWER ONCE TOO, IT WASN'T A LOT OF FUN BUT THE FOOD WAS GOOD, LOL. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING.**

**TO ravencherithgirl, I'M GLAD YOU'RE BACK FROM CAMP. AND I'M GLAD YOU LIKED THE CHAPTERS SO FAR. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: SAY FAREWELL TO ONE OF OUR CHARACTERS, AND TO ANOTHER RELATIONSHIP.**

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	24. All good things come to an end

Raven couldn't help but feel that an awkward silence had settled between her and Leon. She was over at his house, enjoying the Chinese food that he had ordered for lunch. They were sitting across from each other, eating in complete silence.

Raven was desperate for conversation, even a talk about the weather would have satisfied her, but Leon was unresponsive. She had tried to start a conversation on several occasions, but Leon would respond with a short answer or nod.

Raven couldn't help but wonder if she had done something wrong. She wondered if he was mad at her. She couldn't think of anything that would make Leon upset with her. It was clear to her that something was on his mind, but what?

What if he was thinking about breaking up with her? For all she knew Leon could have suddenly decided that their relationship was a burden. Raven clutched the fork in her hand. She hoped that wasn't the case. The last thing she wanted was for her relationship with Leon to end.

Never before had she shared such a strong bond with a person before. Leon understood her and shared her interest, it was as if he was designed by fate just for her. Raven wasn't much for romance, but she was beginning to think that maybe soul mates and love at first sight really did exist.

"I received a message from my mother last night."

Raven nearly dropped her fork at the sound of his voice. He was finally speaking to her. "Really? What did she say?"

Leon placed his fork down, shifting his gaze from his plate over to the girl sitting across from him. "Raven, we need to talk."

Raven gulped. She had learned that when a someone says 'we need to talk' it's a sign of upcoming doom. Toni, who claimed to be an expert on romance, had told her this.

Raven could feel the tips of her fingers become itchy and her throat became dry. She regained her composure. "What about?" she tried to sound as much nonchalant as possible.

Leon closed his eyes before he answered. "Us."

Raven mentally sighed. She knew this was coming, she just knew it. Their relationship was too good to be true.

"The message my mother sent me was about my father. He's... He's not well, Raven."

Raven blinked in surprise. "Leon, I'm so sorry to hear about your dad... but what does he have to do with us?"

"Due to the condition my father is in my mother needs help back home. She would have asked my brother but he's... Let's just say he's not dependable," Leon sighed. "The bottom line is... I have to go bak to London."

Raven felt her heart sink. "For how long?"

"I don't know. A few months, maybe even forever."

Raven could feel her heart cracking under the pressure. She felt so sad at the moment, but she didn't want to show off her hurt feelings. So she buried her sadness, and her anger lashed out in it's place. Leon was _leaving_. He was leaving her.

Raven clenched her fist and stood up abruptly, glaring at the man before. "So that's it huh? You're just gonna go to London?"

"I have no other choice, Raven. My family needs me."

"But I need you..." Raven said broken heartedly.

Leon stood up ."Raven--"

"You know what... It's fine," Raven said, backing up. She grabbed her coat and headed for the door. "Have a nice life in London!"

And with that said she walked out the door, leaving a hurt Leon behind.

TT

Gar had invited the guys over to his house. Currently him, Vic, Dick and Alain were hanging out in the basement playing a board game. Not that long ago Rita had remodeled the basement. The basement now resembled a living room since it had it's own sofa, set of chairs and table.

"So how'd you get the black eye?" Dick inquired before taking a sip of his soda.

"I hit on a girl and said something pretty insulting," Gar answered, picking up a new card. "Though if you ask me it wasn't insulting. It was a compliment really."

"What'd you say?" Vic asked, snatching up a few nachos on the table.

"She asked me if she looked good in the jeans she was wearing and I said yeah, it doesn't make your butt look flat at all."

Dick nearly choked on his drink in laughter. "Seriously, Gar, you are so hopeless when it comes to flirting."

"But I overheard her talking with her friends about how she wanted a bigger butt. I thought my compliment would make her feel good."

"Gar, if there's one thing you never, _ever_, do while talking to a girl is mention her weight," explained Vic. "That includes the girl's chest area and rear end."

Gar shrugged in response and continued on with the board game. So he struck out at being the boss of romance, big deal. He would do better next time. After all practice makes perfect.

The boys continued on with their game when suddenly the door to the basement opened. Down the stairs came Wally and Roy, both looking extremely happy.

"Attention everyone," Roy interrupted the game and all eyes focused on him. "My friend Wally has some great news."

Dick, Gar, Vic and Alain turned their attention to Wally, who's smile was even wider now.

"Knock, knock." Wally said happily.

"Who's there?" Alain asked.

Wally's smile was blinding. "I did it!"

Dick, Roy, Vic and Gar clapped for their friend, nodding their heads in approval.

"I did it who?" Alain asked, not knowing the meaning of 'I did it'.

Dick shook his head at Alain. "Seriously," he scoffed. "And you're supposed to be the smart one."

"What? What I say?" Alain asked, still very much confused.

"Wally had sex." Vic dead panned, ending his friend's confusion.

"Alright dude, give us some details." Roy requested, sitting on the sofa. Wally sat on the sofa as well and all eyes turned to him expectantly.

"Well, at first we were talking, then undressing, and then BAM! I'm a man." Wally said coolly, leaning back with a satisfied smile.

Dick rose a brow. "Is... is that it?"

"Uh... yeah, I guess," Wally rubbed his neck awkwardly. His smile was replaced with a bewildered expression. "I mean, it was kind of like movie, except without the music. So I started to hum--"

Their was a collective groan from Dick, Roy and Vic. Gar and Alain merely shook their head in disappointment. Wally had went from king to peasant in less than five minutes.

"Dude, what the hell is wrong with you," Dick snapped, ashamed of his friend. "You're not supposed to hum! You don't ever hum when doing the do, it's creepy!"

Wally frowned. "So... I messed up?"

"You messed up big time."

TT

Karen had invited Kori, Jade, Jenn and Toni over to her house. Currently the five girls were located in the living room, their attention focused on Jenn who was telling them about her 'experience' with Wally.

"Oh my gosh he was so bad," Jenn said, cheeks red due to embarrassment. "I don't think he had a clue what he was doing. I knew he was a virgin but... He was just _so_ bad!"

"Hey, cut the guy some slack." Toni said. "He was probably just nervous is all."

"He started to hum while were doing it."

"Oh...," Toni cleared her throat, swallowing a laugh. "Okay he is bad."

Jenn sighed and rubbed her temples. She had waited a long time to finally go to the next level with Wally, and now that she did she was beginning to wonder if it was the right choice. His performance last night was less than satisfactory, which was disappointing since it was their first time ever.

Over the course of the years Jenn had taken a liking to romance novels. She was marveled by the tales of candle-lit dinners and kisses under the stars, as well as the bedroom scenes. She had dreamed of having a relationship like the ones in her books.

But instead of getting Mr. Handsome with muscles the size of soccer balls, she got Wally. Scrawny, sometimes annoying, Wally.

Now Jenn wasn't going to lie, she loved Wally. He could be quite the charmer when he wanted to be, such as when he gave her roses, but Wally had pretty much squashed her dreams last night.

She wanted her first time to be perfect, but it wasn't. Wally was horrible. She would have thought with all those perverted comments he made he would know a thing or two about the bed room. As it turns out he didn't. And to top it all off he hummed.

"Why on earth did he hum," Jenn asked, clearly frustrated. "Do you think he was bored?"

"I highly doubt that. I mean, Wally has been waiting to get his paws on you ever since you two started dating." Jade said, taking a spoonful of her ice cream.

"So why did he hum?"

"Maybe... maybe he was trying to, um...," Kori put a finger to her lip. She wanted to defend Wally, because she knew how hard it could be when dealing with issues such as sex, but she honestly couldn't think of anything to help him out. She herself was confused as to why he would hum during such a tender moment. "Come back to me when I think of something."

Jenn sighed and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. "How am I supposed to face Wally now? This whole thing is so awkward... I don't even know if I want to face him."

"Well you're gonna have to eventually," pointed out Karen. Suddenly, her phone began to ring. She stood up. "Be right back."

As Karen left the room Jenn spoke once again. "Jade, you have experience in this area. What should I do?"

"I don't know, Jenn. With Roy and I we hit off really well...," Jade smiled in rembrance, a dreamy expression on her face. "I mean, it was _so _good! And when he--"

"Lalalala, too much information," Kori cried, covering her ears. "Lalalala!"

"You guys, guess what," Karen shouted happily, running into the living room with a wide smile on her face. She glanced at Kori who had her hands over her ears. "What's with her?"

"Jade told us a scary story," Toni replied, removing Kori's hands from her ears. "Go on, Karen."

"Okay, guess who just called me."

"Santa?"

"No joy killer. Mal!"

"You mean the hot musician guy who you are totally hot for?"

"I am not totally hot for him! But yeah, that's the guy."

The girls squealed.

"Tell us everything."

"Well there's not much to tell... He was just wondering if I would like to stop by and hear his band play again," Karen's shoulders slumped and a frown came to her face. "Do you think he likes me, you know, likes like me?"

"Of course he does, he thinks you're great."

"Yeah, but... I don't know. Shouldn't he have asked me out already if he did?"

"These sort of things take time, Karen," said Kori. "Just take a look around you. It took months for Wally to finally get a date with Jenn, and it probably would have taken longer had Jade, Roy and Alain not set them up. And let's not forget Roy and Jade. Roy practically got on his hands and knees begging Jade for a date. Then there's Alain who was terrified of asking out Toni."

"And let's not forget you and Dick. I mean, that looks years," Karen pointed out. "_Years_!"

Kori cleared her throat. "Yeah... it did. But the point is you have to be patient! Give it time and Mal will come around. I promise."

"Well if you say so, Kori. I mean, you were patient with Dick and things turned out great between you two. Even though it took a couple of years and--"

"Who wants more ice cream!" Kori interrupted loudly, standing up.

"Oh, oh, me," Jade raised her hand. "I do, I do!"

"Great," Kori took Jade's empty bowl and left the living room. "I'll be back in a second."

"Well...," Toni leaned back on the sofa. "That wasn't awkward at all."

TT

Raven found herself in front of Leon's door, debating whether or not to knock.

After walking out on Leon the other day Raven had went straight home. She was in a rage and ran upstairs to her room. Once inside her sanctuary she was surrounded by a quiet atmosphere, which was just what she wanted. What she needed. She needed to be able to think clearly about the situation with Leon.

Her and Leon hadn't been dating for long but Raven already had an attachment to him. He was everything she ever wanted in a boyfriend and more. He was precious to her. And to have something so precious ripped away from you, it hurt like hell.

After much thinking Raven came to the conclusion that she owed Leon an apology. She had let her anger take over, again. She needed to set things right, while there was still time.

Unfortunately for her, despite her intentions, she couldn't sum up the courage she needed to knock at his door. She knew as soon as she knocked she would have to face facts, she would have to face the truth that Leon was leaving. And Raven just didn't know if she could do that.

Raven right in frustration. "Come on, Raven. You can do this. No big deal. Just knock and get it over with," Raven bit her lip and her fist hovered before. "Any minute now..."

Raven swallowed her fear and knocked at the door.

There was a shuffling inside before the door finally opened.

Raven forced a smile to her face. "Hey."

Leon leaned against the door frame, pleasantly surprised. "Hey... Would you like to come in?"

Raven nodded her head and stepped inside. Upon entering his apartment she saw suitcases out and packed. Raven shivered at the sight. "I see you've been busy..."

"Yes, well, I thought it would be best to start packing now instead of later," Leon explained. "Best to do it now instead of waiting last minute."

Raven nodded silently.

"I have something for you. Wait right here."

Leon ventured into the next room. Raven took a seat on his couch, her eyes gazing around the room. The walls were bare, and Raven couldn't help but get this eerie feeling because of it. She sighed and reached inside her purse, bringing out a small box. The reason she came was so she could apologize, but she also wanted to give him his Christmas gift. Christmas was tomorrow, but she wanted to give him his gift now, knowing that she would have to spend the day with Kori and her family on Christmas day.

"Guess we had the same idea," Leon said softly, walking into the room. He made his way towards Raven. In his hands was a small box. "Should we exchange gifts first or talk about the reason you're here? You were mad yesterday, so what happened?"

"I had a lot of time to think, that's what happened," Raven answered. "I admit that I have a bit of a temper problem--"

"A bit?"

"Okay, a big temper problem," Raven glared at Leon for smirking, but her gaze softened and she eventually smiled. It was hard to stay mad at him. "Yesterday my temper got the best of me. And I'm sorry. You're only doing what you have to do and it wasn't fair of me to react the way I did."

"I don't blame you for acting the way you did."

"I know... so... when are you leaving?"

"New Year's day."

"Oh, that's... that's really soon." Raven bit her lip, trying to suppress any emotions that were bubbling inside.

"I know. But I was hoping that we could spend my last few days here together."

Raven took his hand in her own, giving it a tiny squeeze. She looked up at Leon and smiled at him, tears coming to her eyes. "I would like that."

TT

Jenn sat at the edge of her couch in anticipation. The lights were dimmed and a bowl of popcorn sat in her lap. On screen was a horror movie that she was watching. The killer was currently on screen, right behind the main character with a knife in his hand. He was about to strike when...

The doorbell rang.

Jenn nearly jumped out of her seat and cursed out loud. Grabbing the remote she paused the movie. She stood up and made her way towards the door. When she opened it Wally was standing on the other side.

"Wally... what are you doing here," Jenn asked. "I thought you were coming by later."

"Yeah, but I just couldn't wait," Wally said, stepping inside. "I mean, why wait when I already know what's coming..." Wally paused, his eyes on Jenn's neck. "You're wearing the necklace I got you."

Jenn touched the necklace Wally had bestowed her with. The pendent was a golden plate in the shape of an oval, decorated with a single onyx stone surrounded by rubies. The pendant resembled that of a cat's eye and was attached to a gold chain. Jenn had to admit that Wally had good taste for picking out jewelry. She had been so happy when he gave it to her yesterday for Christmas, but due to the awkwardness Jenn had just accepted the gift and said thank you. Wally probably took it the wrong way Jenn thought.

"Of course I'm wearing it you goof," Jenn said. "I love it."

"You do? I thought... You left after I gave it to you..."

"Yeah, about that," Jenn sat on the sofa and patted the empty space next to her. She had wanted Wally to come by later so she could have better prepared herself and make a speech or something. "Wally, we need to talk."

"I'm way ahead of you, Jenn. I know what you have to say and I have something to say to you too," Wally threw himself at Jenn's feet and hugged her legs. "Please don't break up with me! Please!"

"Wally, what the hell are you talking about?"

Wally looked up. "Aren't you... going to break up with me? I mean, ever since... we did _it_ you've--"

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you there before you embarrass yourself even more. Now I want you to listen very carefully when I say this. I am _not_ breaking up with you."

"You're not? So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to talk about your performance in bed."

Wally turned a deep shade of red. "Yeah, sorry... I know I was... bad--"

"You were horrible."

Wally frowned.

"Which is why I thought we should practice until you get better."

Wally's eyes went wide. He couldn't believe the words that just came from Jenn's mouth. She was serious. She was serious about them being together again... Wally felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

"Excuse me." Wally stood up and walked out the door.

Jenn rolled her eyes. "Three... Two... One..."

"_YES_!"

Jenn chuckled at Wally's reaction.

Wally walked back in, a cool smile on his face. "Alright let's get this show on the road."

TT

Raven and Leon had managed to find a space away from on looking eyes at the airport. Her back was pressed against the wall and her heart was beating wildly. This was it, this was her finally moments with Leon. She clutched his hand tightly, not wanting to ever let go.

"Raven... you do know this isn't the end right," Leon asked, stroking her cheek and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You have my email address, I have yours. We'll keep in touch."

Raven nodded her head, trying to be strong. Even though she cared about Leon, and even though she knew she would be able to keep in touch with him, she knew it wouldn't last. Eventually one of them would stop messaging the other. Their relationship wouldn't survive such a distance and eventually they would move on. It was a harsh fact, but Raven decided to deal with it now instead of fooling herself. Despite knowing this she nodded anyway.

"Hey," Leon cupped her face in his hands. "You are going to be just fine. You're a strong girl and I love you."

"I love you too..." Raven blinked back tears that sprang to her eyes.

The announcer at the airport went off, alerting the people that the next flight to London was boarding.

"That's me." Leon said softly.

Raven wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in, giving him one final kiss. Fingers tangled in hair as the kiss became more passionate. When the passion died down they pulled away and hugged each other tightly.

Raven pulled away and kissed his cheek. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." Leon said before departing. He had to walk away first as to not arouse suspicion. Raven would emerge later.

Once he was gone Raven leaned back against the wall and slid to the floor, tears springing to her eyes.

TT

A slim figure stepped out of Jump City airport and breathed in the fresh air. Blonde hair got tangled in the wind as blue eyes gazed upon the city... upon her new home.

The owner of the blue eyes smirked. "Watch out Jump City... here I come."

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO ravencherithgirl, BerryDrops, RavenSis, Hidden Iris, jcyz, featherpen13, clarkLover1, robxxstarxx3, lupineeyes, cookiesruletheworld, Koriand'r Grayson, Agent of the Divine One, Night of the Stars, writing4eva, xxScriblezxx, TerraBB4Eva, vivacobra, AQ, Ace.04, BeastgirlRaven, mysteree101, superanimated, Daniella, Trimacle AND L.A.M.B. FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. YOU GUYS KEEP ME MOTIVATED, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.**

**SUPER, SPECIAL, EXTRA THANKS TOO xxScriblezxx FOR BEING THE 500TH REVIEWER! AS A REWARD YOU GET TO ASK ME ONE QUESTION ABOUT THIS STORY, OR ANY OF THE SEQUELS, OR EVEN When We Were Young. REMEMBER, YOU ONLY GET ONE QUESTION SO CHOOSE WISELY.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: GAR HAS HIS EYES SET ON THE NEW GIRL.**

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	25. Terra

"Is it just me," Toni began. "Or does our school vacations keep getting shorter and shorter?"

It was the month of January, and a new year, as well as a new school day. The holiday vacation was over and it was the students first day back, something many of the students of Jump City High School were not happy about.

"I have this theory that schools are trying to get rid of vacations all together. They want us to suffer by staying in school all year long."

Alain rose a brow. "And why would they want us to suffer?"

"Because they hate us. Duh."

Vic chuckled and turned his head towards Dick. "Yo, Dick. Are you hearing this man?... Dick?"

Dick hadn't heard a word of the conversation. His attention was fixed on Kori who, at the moment, was conversing with Xavier in the back of the room. It appeared as if Xavier had just told a joke because Kori was currently giggling. The two of them were smiling at each other and Xavier was holding Kori's hand. Dick knew that the two of them were friends, but Dick hated Xavier with a passion. He didn't trust Xavier as far as he could throw him.

"You don't have to be so jealous," Karen told him softly, leaning against Dick's desk. "Kori loves you with her heart and soul, there's nothing to worry about."

"I would like to believe that, but shit happens. You should know that more than any of us," Dick mentally kicked himself, realization dawning on him. He tore his eyes away from Kori and Xavier to look at Karen. "Crap, Karen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."

"Eh, don't worry about it." Karen responded indifferently. When Dick turned his head to the side she punched him in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" Dick asked, glaring at Karen.

"You deserved it... midget," Karen crossed her arms. "Besides, you should have a little more faith in Kori. She's not the cheating type."

"I know that, and I do trust Kori. It's Xavier I don't trust."

"Alright students," Mr. Mod announced, stepping into class. "Take your seats."

There was a brief moment of shuffling around the room before everyone took their seats. Dick flashed a wide smile once Kori took her rightful place by him.

"Now I know all of you are just bursting with joy to be back in school--"

"Like hell we are!"

Alain glanced at Toni who slumped in her seat.

Mr. Mod cleared his throat. "As I was saying... We are all back in school, and there are going to be some changes--"

"You're gonna quiz us less?" Wally asked hopefully.

Mr. Mod narrowed his eyes. "No. Now would you all stop interrupting me? I have something important to say."

"If it's so important just say it already." Raven said dryly, her eyes on her wrist as she absentmindly fiddled with her new charm bracelet, a gift from Leon.

"Okay fine. I thought some suspense would be... _cool_," the students flinched when Mr. Mod said cool. The word cool and a teacher just didn't mix good. "But I'll just get on with it. Class, I would like to introduce our new student, Terra Markov."

The class looked to the side and saw nothing. Mr. Mod saw their puzzled faces and looked to the side as well. He was surprised when he didn't see the new student standing next to him. He had gone to the main office to pick her up, and she was right by his side when he was walking to class. So where did she go?

"Pardon me." Mr. Mod said as he stepped out the room. If he lost the new student he would get in serious trouble with Mr. Wilson.

The students glanced at each other curiously.

The door opened and Mr. Mod stepped inside, this time with a student by his side.

The student was a female, tall and slim. She had blonde hair that ended mid-back and dazzling, sky blue eyes. Her outfit included brown boots and brown gloves, as well as a pair of blue denim shorts. She had on a layered shirt, the first shirt being a long-sleeved gray shirt and the second being a short-sleeved black shirt. Around her neck was a pair of goggles and a butterfly clip was in her hair.

Hearts immediately sprang to Gar's eyes at the sight of the new girl.

"Terra, why don't you sit behind Gar," said Mr. Mod. "He's the midget with green hair."

Gar was so giddy that Terra would be sitting behind him that he didn't even hear Mr. Mod's comment. Gar's eyes followed Terra as she made her way across the room and to her seat. Gar turned around slightly and smiled at her. His throat suddenly felt dry and he couldn't speak, so he merely waved at her instead.

Terra cocked her head to the side and smiled at him. Gar immediately blushed.

"Someone call the fashion police," Kitten muttered from behind Terra. "We have another loser present."

Terra turned around in her seat and glared at Kitten. "Someone call Toys R'us, they want their Barbie back."

"Okay new girl, clearly you don't know who you're dealing with. I'm Kitten Moth."

"First of all, my name is Terra. And second of all, clearly you don't know who you're dealing with. And third, I could give a rats ass who you are."

"Alright, enough ladies," Mr. Mod intervened. "Terra, I'll excuse you since you're new. But, Kitten, you should know better. If I hear another outburst from you I'll give you detention."

Kitten huffed and crossed her arms. Terra turned back around in her seat and rested her head in her arms.

Jenn leaned over and whispered something to Karen. "The new girl is cool."

TT

It was third period, and gym for a fraction of Jump City's High School's students. Among these students were Dick, Kori, Vic, Karen, Gar, Raven, Toni, Alain, Wally and Jenn. There group was two members short due to Roy and Jade being absent. Currently, the ten of them were sitting on the bleachers having a conversation. Mr. Blood was absent as well, so the teacher filling in let the class have free time.

"For the last time, Kori, no!" Dick exasperated.

"But she looks so alone," Kori said, glancing sadly at Terra who was on the other side of the gym by herself. "She's new and she needs some friends. Why can't that be us?"

"Yeah, why can't that be us?" Gar asked, joining Kori's side. Kori had wanted to go talk with Terra and make friends, but Dick had stopped her. If Kori could bring Terra into the group that would be great in Gar's opinion. He didn't know why Dick was so opposed to it.

"Because we don't need any more friends," Dick said, standing up to Kori, something he didn't do too often. "Kori, seriously, what is with you? Why do you always have to pick up strays?"

"I do not pick up strays." Kori replied, crossing her arms.

"That's bull and you know it. When we were little you picked up Gar, Vic, Raven and Karen. And now you got that damn Babs girl butting in on our dates."

"She did that one time!"

"So! Interrupting one of Dick Grayson's dates in unacceptable. Besides... I'm not to sure about that girl."

"You're being paranoid. I'm gonna go talk to her." Kori said as she walked away.

Gar pumped his fist. "Yes!"

Dick sighed and sat back down. "Dammit."

"So...," Vic sat besides Dick, glaring at him. "We're strays? You know, you can be a real asshole sometimes, Dick."

"Hey, Dick," Raven smirked wickedly. "I'm pretty sure that if you marry Kori she'll want a ton of kids. Tons, and _tons, _of kids."

Dick's mouth was agape. "Not cool."

"Yeah, well that's what you get for calling me a stray. Gar I can understand, but the rest of us. Tsk."

Karen slapped Dick behind his head. "Jackass."

It didn't take long for Kori to convince Terra to come meet her friends. Kori returned with Terra in hand and introduced her to the others.

"And last bit not least," Kori pulled Terra towards her green-haired friend. "Gar."

"Yeah, you're the kid who sits in front of me in history," Terra extended her hand and shook Gar's hand. "Nice to meet you dude."

Gar chuckled sheepishly and pulled at the collar of his shirt with his free hand, his face turning red. "Uh... heh... you called me dude."

Terra rose a brow. "You can let go of my hand now."

Gar quickly snatched his hand away, blushing a crimson red. "S-sorry."

"So, Terra," Alain began. "How long have you been in Jump City?"

"Oh, not that long. I got here New Year's day."

"So I guess that means you haven't really gotten the chance to see the city, correct?" Kori asked.

Terra nodded.

Kori clapped her hands, a wide smile on her face. "That is excellent!"

Terra rose a brow. "It is?"

"Yes! Since you don't know your way around the city you can hang out with us. We'll show you around."

"Really? That would be awesome! Can we do something today?"

"Sure, I'm free," Kori glanced at the others. "What about you guys?"

"I'm in!" Gar shouted quickly. The others glanced at him with curious looks. Gar, who was now embarrassed, pursed his lips and sat down quietly.

"I guess I have no choice but to go." Dick muttered, crossing his arms.

Kori glared at him. "What was that?"

Dick gulped. "I said I would love to come too."

"Well count me out," said Vic. "I have a date with Sara today."

"Yeah, I just don't feel like it." Raven muttered, her fingers brushing against her charm bracelet. She was still mourning over Leon and wasn't up to any fun activities.

"I've got nothing better to do," began Karen. "So I'll come."

"Anything to get out of the house." Toni said with a shrug.

"If Toni's going than I'll come too," said Alain. He glanced at Jenn and Wally. "What about you guys? You in?"

"Oh... we can't," Jenn said, glancing at Wally. "We have plans."

"Really," Terra leaned forward in curiosity. "What?"

"Oh you know... just hanging out," Wally answered. "It's not like we'll be doing anything."

Jenn elbowed Wally in the ribs, wanting him to close his lips. She didn't want her friends, or the new girl, to know that they would be fooling around after school. That was their private business, only to be discussed between them. And sometimes during girl talk, or when Wally was just hanging out with the guys.

"Well... anyway, it's really nice of you guys to show me around. Thanks so much." Terra said, breaking the awkward silence that had settled in the group. She looked at Gar and smiled at him, causing him to smile back.

TT

Terra was extremely thankful that Kori and her friends had volunteered to show her around Jump City. Never before had someone been so kind to her at first meeting. Terra was really looking forward to getting to know Kori and all of her friends, and spending the day with them seemed like an exciting adventure, or so she thought. Toni had decided to play follow the leader and chose where they would be going, and Toni chose to lead them to the mall.

Terra had never been one for malls. She was more of an outdoors person. She liked getting her hands dirty and running wild. You couldn't really do either of those things at the mall.

Terra rose brow. "Don't take this the wrong way, but... why are we at the mall? I thought we were going to tour around Jump City."

"We are," Toni replied. "Most of Jump City consist in the mall. You have food, clothing stores, arcades, clothing stores, a movie theater, clothing stores and did I mention clothing stores?"

"Toni, admit it," began Alain, crossing his arms. "You just wanted a reason to shop."

"You know me all too well," Toni responded with a smirk, grabbing both Karen and Alain's hands and dragging them into the mall. "Come on guys, the mall awaits!"

"I'm sorry about this," Kori apologized to Terra as they trailed behind the group. "If you want I can give you a read tour of Jump City tomorrow. We can go to the park or the pier."

"I would like that. But don't even apologize," Terra said. "True, this isn't what I expected, but it's cool. I may not like shopping but if this mall has an arcade I'm game."

"You're into arcades?" Gar asked, stepping up to walk besides Terra. He had been shy and was walking behind her and Kori, but at the mention of arcades he was consumed with curiosity.

"I love arcades. I mean, they have so much cool stuff. Laser tag, Mega Monkeys–"

"You like Mega Monkeys?" Gar was shocked. He had never met a girl who liked Mega Monkeys before.

"Are you kidding me? Mega Monkeys is only the best video game ever made! How could I not like it?"

Gar's mouth was agape. He had just met the girl and he was already smitten with her.

TT

After school had ended Raven went straight home and to her room, her sanctuary. It was the only place where she could have complete peace of mind and silence.

Plopping down on her bed, Raven brought her wrist up to eye level. Her silver charm bracelet dangled before her. Raven brushed her fingers against the five charms that were attached to the bracelet. Attached to the bracelet was one charm shaped as a raven, Leon said he couldn't resist when picking out the charms. Another charm was shaped as a cup, a joke on Leon's part since he knew Raven loved tea. The charm next to it was a book, Leon said it represented her love of reading. The next one was in the shape of a flower. Raven recalled Leon's words when he explained the meaning behind that one.

_Raven rose a brow as she brushed her fingers against the charm shaped like a flower. She looked at Leon with curious eyes. "I think I understand why you picked the other four charms, but why a flower?"_

_Leon smiled as he took the bracelet from her hands and clasped it on to her wrist. "Because, you're blooming everyday with beauty."_

_Raven blushed a crimson red after he said that._

Raven smiled at the memory. Leon had such a way with words. He was a true romantic. Raven glanced at the last charm, a heart. Leon told her never to forget the memories, and to love and to keep loving.

Raven sighed deeply, her wrist falling to her side. How was she supposed to love and keep loving when he was gone? Raven turned to her side and glared at the wall.

"Life can be such a bitch."

First her mother left her, then her father left (though she didn't particularly miss his absence), and now Leon was gone. How was she supposed to love at all when the people in her life kept disappearing?

Well, not everyone left. She still had her friends.

"Huh," Raven murmured. "I wonder what the others are doing."

TT

Gar, Kori, Dick, Karen, Toni and Alain all looked at Terra in awe. They were still at the mall, but at the food court. The six teens couldn't help but stare at the blonde girl as she gobbled down her food. So far Terra had helped herself to eight burgers (two of which were made of tofu), three packs of large fries, two cupcakes from the bakery, three tacos, and two hotdogs. If that wasn't enough she still wanted to check out the pretzel wagon, the pizzeria, and the candy store.

"You were right, Toni," Terra said in between licks of her ice cream. Once she spotted the sign that said thirty-two flavors she refused to leave until trying them all. Currently she was on flavor eighteen. "The mall does have everything!"

"How can she still be hungry?" Dick whispered to Alain.

"I don't know. Maybe she has some sort of black hole in her stomach."

Terra sighed in content as she finished off flavor eighteen. She waved her spoon in the air, trying to get the man who was behind the counter attention. "Ice cream dude, I'm done here! Bring me flavor nineteen!"

"Yes ma'am," the man said quickly, rushing to get her order. He didn't want to upset Terra, she was good business. He rushed to her table and set a bowl of ice cream in front of her, smiling. "Enjoy."

Terra smiled and shoved her spoon in the ice cream, taking a huge bite. She smiled as her taste buds reacted. "Hmm... so good."

"Uh, Terra, don't you think you've had enough?" Kori asked in concern. Surely all the food she was eating would upset her stomach. Kori didn't want Terra to get sick or anything.

"I know what you're thinking, Kori," Terra paused from her ice cream to glance at her new friend. "But don't worry. My stomach can handle it."

"Girl, how is it that you can eat so much and still be so thin?" Karen asked, looking Terra over. The blonde girl was thin.

"I don't know, fast metabolism maybe?" Terra shrugged and went back to her ice cream, only to realize that her bowl was already empty. She glanced at the man, who she dubbed 'ice cream dude', and asked for the next flavor.

"Wow, Terra," Gar was impressed at her eating habits. "You eat more than Vic and Wally. That's really cool."

"You think so?" Terra paused from her eating and looked at Gar shyly. He nodded with a smile and she said thanks.

Toni grinned and leaned over to whisper something to Karen. "I think someone has a crush."

TT

"Come on," Sara begged, smiling sweetly at Vic. "Tell me where we are going?"

"Sorry little lady, no can do. It's a surprise." Vic replied with a smile.

The two were currently in Vic's car, driving through the streets of Jump City. Vic was driving them to the location of their date. Up until now most of their dates revolved around places Sara liked or normally went to, but today would be different. Vic was taking charge and picked where they were going.

The car slowed down to a halt and Vic grinned. "We're here!"

The smile that was on Sara's face turned to a frown. "Uh... the carnival."

"Awesome ain't it?" Vic asked as they stepped out of the car.

"Yeah, it sure is." Sara lied with a smile on her face. Had she known this was where he was taking her, she would have stayed home. Sara didn't care for carnivals much. Everything was so childish. She would have preferred going to a museum.

"Well let's go!" Vic said in excitement as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards a roller coaster. Vic wanted to show Sara a good time and he wanted to have some fun, what better way to do that than to go to a carnival?

TT

As soon as Terra had satisfied her food craving, Toni had decided to show Terra where the real fun was at. The stores. Toni had grabbed Terra's hand and dragged her inside one of her favorite stores. Currently Toni was trying to get Terra to try on an outfit she picked out for her.

"C'mon, Terra, live a little," Toni persuaded, shoving the outfit in Terra's hands and pushing her towards a changing room. "Just try it on."

"But I hate skirts," Terra whined. "Can't I try on something that won't show off my panties if a gust of wind comes by?"

"Sure you can. But you have to try on the skirt."

Not that far from where Terra and Toni were standing stood Gar. The green-haired boy was leaning against a rack of clothing and looking at Terra with much affection in his eyes. He sighed, wishing he could have just a moment to talk to her alone. He wanted to get to know her. Gar found Terra to be a captivating mystery.

"Puppy love eyes, affectionate sigh, goofy smile," Karen noted, stepping up from behind Gar and surprising him. "All symptoms of a crush. And seeing as how you've had your eyes on Terra almost all day, my guess in that you're crushing on her."

Gar glared at Karen. "Say it louder why don't ya."

"Sorry," Karen apologized. She smiled. "So..."

Gar rose a brow. "So... what?"

"You like her."

Gar scoffed, trying to cover up his feelings however useless it might be now. "No I don't."

"You do too. Why not talk to her?"

"I can't do that."

"And why not?" Karen inquired, crossing her arms. This all seemed like de ja vu to her. But only this time the shoe was on the other foot.

"Because...," Gar pondered his mind for a good enough excuse. "Because you guys are all here. I can't flirt with you guys around. It cramps my style."

Karen smirked. "So if I could get you both alone you'll talk to her?"

"Well... I guess I would," Gar said softly, heat rising to his cheeks. "Would you really do that for me?"

"Of course I would, Gar. You're my friend. Now step aside while I become the boss of romance."

TT

Wally turned his head to the side, a smile forming on his lips as he gazed at Jenn with love and affection. "That was _amazing_."

"Tell me about it," Jenn replied with a smile of her own. "You've gotten _so_ much better. You're a fast learner."

"To bad it doesn't work the same way in school. If I could only apply myself there like I do in the bed room I would be set," he put his hands behind his head and a mischievous smile came to his lips. "So... what time does your mom get home?"

"Around nine," Jenn answered while rubbing her hands across Wally's chest. She had always thought Wally to be quite scrawny but he actually had some muscles. She rose a brow, her mind wrapping around his previous question. Why did he care what time her mother got home? Especially at time like this... "Why?"

Wally flashed a cheeky smile and that's all Jenn needed to have her answer.

Jenn showed off her own cheeky smile. "Why, Wally, you naughty boy."

"Don't you know it." Wally said before jumping her and ravishing her with kisses.

TT

True to her word, Karen had gotten Gar and Terra alone. It was easy actually, all she had to do was fill Kori and Toni in on her plan. Kori of course was assigned to distract Dick while Toni distracted Alain. Dick was picked off easily, all Kori had to do was ask him his opinion on a couple of mini skirts which she offered to model for him. Dick was so consumed in watching Kori that Karen had convinced the others to come with her, seeing as it would take Dick and Kori awhile to leave the store (Dick had insisted that Kori try on more mini skirts).

After that Toni said she needed help picking out a gift for Carl. His birthday would be coming soon and she wanted to het him something nice. But in order to do that she needed advice from a fashionable male. So, she dragged Alain off, despite him questioning her as to why she all of a sudden wanted to do something nice for Carl.

As for Karen, she merely said that she needed to check something out and would be gone for awhile, leaving Gar and Terra alone on a bench by the mall's water fountain. Karen had left them there purposely, because she believed that fountains added a touch of romance to a scene.

Despite Gar finally having Terra alone to himself he still had yet to speak to her. Gar couldn't think of anything decent to say. Gar tapped his thumbs together in frustration, He was just going to take the plunge and throw something out there. Anything was better than the awkward silence that had formed between them.

"Nice weather we're having," Gar mentally slapped himself. Surely he could come up with something better than to talk about the weather. He quickly tried to save himself. "You know, it's pretty good since it's not raining. Not much to do when it's raining, total bummer."

"Tell me about it. I like the outdoors a lot but I can't go out as much when it rains. I wouldn't want to catch a cold or something."

Something Terra said caught Gar's interest. "So you like the outdoors?"

"I love it so much I used to be a girl scout. It just fascinates me. Nature is such a beautiful place."

"I get what you mean. But with me my interest lays with animals."

After that the conversation seemed less forced and more comfortable. Gar had found himself eventually playing twenty questions with Terra, making the conversation run even more smoothly. The two had revealed much to each other, such as their favorite color and favorite game, as well as what they wanted to be in the future.

"Okay, last question," Terra pointed out. "And this one is for all the marbles. I want to know why your hair is green."

Gar ran a hand through his hair and smiled sheepishly. "You can thank Vic for this. The summer before sophomore year I dared him to eat tofu, so he got back at me and dared me to dye my hair green. I actually liked the look so I decided to keep it."

"Well I'm glad you did," Terra said while ruffling Gar's hair. "I think you look _very_ cute."

Gar turned red in the face after that comment.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO mysteree101, BeastgirlRaven, BerryDrops, xxScriblezxx, jcyz, lildreamer lil2cool, xo, Trimacle, clarkLover1, RavenSis, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, featherpen13, lupineeyes, Hidden Iris, Koriand'r Grayson, TerraBB4Eva, The-Sesshy-Star, Ace.04, cookiegurl15, cookiesruletheworld, Daniella, tennisgal456, ravencherithgirl, Agent of the Divine One AND superanimated FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! I HOPED YOU ALL LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

**TO xo, I DID GET THE THING WITH WALLY AND JENN FROM THAT 70'S SHOW. I WAS TRYING TO THINK OF A WAY AS TO HOW WALLY COULD HAVE BEEN BAD IN BED, AND I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF FEZ. THANKS FOR REVIEWING.**

**TO lupineeyes, I CAN'T TELL YOU IF TERRA IS GOING TO BE LIKE A SPY, SORRY. THAT'S CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. THEY WILL GET A NEW ENGLISH TEACHER, BUT YOU PROBABLY WON'T SEE A SCENE THAT INCLUDES THE NEW ENGLISH TEACHER ANY TIME SOON. I'M GLAD YOU LIKED THE LAST CHAPTER.**

**TO Daniella, LOL YEAH. RAVEN'S RELATIONSHIP WITH LEON WAS A BIT CREEPY. IT WAS ACTUALLY HARD TO WRITE THEM TOGETHER CAUSE HE WAS OLDER. BUT I WANTED TO DO A TEACHER/STUDENT RELATIONSHIP SOMEWHERE IN THE STORY BECAUSE YOU HEAR ABOUT THAT STUFF ON THE NEWS AND JUNK. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE POSITIVE REVIEW.**

**TO ravencherithgirl, I'M GLAD YOU LIKED THE WALLY AND JENN STUFF. I LOVE WRITING THOSE TWO. THEY ARE SO CUTE AND FUNNY TOGETHER. THANKS FOR REVIEWING.**

**TO superanimated, AS YOU ALREADY KNOW THE GIRL WAS INDEEED TERRA LOL. THANKS SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING LAST CHAPTER.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: A SIMPLE QUESTION FOR KAREN HAS HER HEART BEATING RAPIDLY.**

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	26. Love song

The sun began to descend and with it came the rise of the evening. The sky had turned a multitude of colors, ranging from purple all the way to yellow. Karen glanced at the sky, a soft smile on her face. Jump City always looked so beautiful during the night time.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Mal asked softly, stepping up behind her.

Karen turned to look at him and nodded her head. "Yeah, it is," Karen glanced behind him and chuckled. "But now really isn't the time to admire the sky. We still have a lot of work to do."

Karen's statement was indeed true. She was over at Mal's house, standing in his garage. He had invited her to watch his band practice, and as of a few minutes ago practice had ended. Mal had sent his band mates off, telling them that he would pack up the equipment. Karen had taken one look at all of the instruments, and at Mal, and insisted that he needed help, so she had stayed behind to help him.

"Thanks a lot for helping out, Karen," Mal said before packing up a guitar. Band practice took place in his garage, and the only way it would stay like that is if he had everything packed away and the garage cleared before his father got home. "This can be a lot of work by myself."

"So why not ask your band mates to help?" Karen inquired, rolling up a few wires so it wouldn't be a tangled mess.

"I dunno... I guess I just like doing it by myself. Perhaps I feel it is my duty to do it since it's my own instruments, and because I'm band leader," Mal shrugged. "I've never really given it much thought."

"Well maybe you should because...," Karen wore a proud smile and put her hands to her hips. "We're done."

"No way... I never get things done that fast on my own."

"Which is why you should consider asking your friends for help next time," Karen said, poking Mal in the chest. She realized how close she was and abruptly pulled back. "Uh... well, seeing as we're done here I'll just head home."

Mal nodded silently and Karen turned to leave.

Suddenly she felt something, or rather someone, grab her wrist. Karen froze in place and nervously turned her head to see Mal's hand on her wrist. Her eyes trailed up his arms and finally landed on his face. For what felt like forever they stood in silence, eyes locked, that is until Mal spoke.

"Can... can I ask you something?" he sounded nervous, Karen noted. She never heard Mal sound nervous before.

Karen could feel her stomach stir and she gulped. Mal being nervous was suddenly making her nervous. "S-sure. What is it?"

By this time Mal's face was starting to turn a little red and his eyes were downcast. He moved his hand from her wrist and was now holding Karen's hand. Mentally he cursed himself for being so nervous. He never reacted this way to a girl before...

"I understand if it's too soon and you say no, so don't worry about hurting my feelings or anything like that," Mal swallowed and cast his nerves away, looking Karen in the eye. "Would you like to go on a date with me?"

Karen nearly fell over in shock.

TT

Karen had gone into full panic mode. She had all the symptoms. She was nervous, pacing and about ready to pull out her own hair. She needed help, and fast. So, she called up two people who she knew would be able to help her. Kori and Toni.

Karen had explained the situation to them, and they instantly agreed to help. Though they only did so after much squealing of excitement and joy. As of now the three girls were currently at the mall, at one of Karen's favorite stores.

"Okay girls, I need the perfect outfit for my date with Mal," Karen announced. "So let me know when you find something cute."

Toni raised her hand. "I have a question."

"What is it?"

"What kind of outfit are we looking for," Toni questioned. "The casual movies outfit or the super sexy dance outfit? Or are you going to the carnival? Let me know now so I don't pick a skirt or something. Number one rule for girls while riding a roller coaster, never wear a skirt."

"Uh... hmm," Karen put a finger to her lips, brows furrowed in thought. She came upon a horrid realization. "Oh crap! I never asked Mal where we were going for our date! Dammit, how could I be so stupid!"

"Karen, calm down," Kori said quickly. "It's not a big deal. All we have to do is call Mal and ask him what kind of apparel you should have on."

"Good idea, Kori. Now call up Mal and ask him for me."

"What? Why me?"

"Because it was your idea and you've known him longer."

"But I," Kori began to protest but Karen gave her 'the look'. Kori released a defeated sigh. "Fine."

Karen clapped her hands and gave Kori a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Kori sighed and took out her cell phone. "Anything for a friend," Kori wandered off to the side. "Hey, Mal. How's it going?"

TT

After three hours of shopping Karen had finally found everything she needed for her date with Mal. She had the perfect outfit and the perfect shoes to match. Content with her shopping, and her decision, her, Kori, and Toni all sat down at the food court to relax. Plus, it was time for some girl talk.

"So how did you feel when Mal finally asked you out?" Toni asked, dipping one of her french fries into her milkshake and taking a bite.

"I was so damn happy that I practically skipped home. I mean, I never really thought that he would actually ask me out," Karen confessed softly. "Not that I'm complaining or anything. It was just so unexpected."

"Is it just me or do you sound nervous?" Toni inquired, raising a brow.

"If I am?"

"Are you?" Kori pressed. Karen was usually such a confident girl.

"Maybe just a little," Kori and Toni eyed Karen skeptically. Karen groaned. "Okay fine, a lot."

Karen couldn't help but feel nervous about her upcoming date with Mal. In all honesty who could blame her? It had been a little bit over a month since her ordeal with Vic, what if she wasn't ready to go back to dating? She would make a total fool of herself in front of Mal. She didn't want that to happen. She really liked Mal. There was something about him that she found intriguing.

"Karen, you don't have to be so nervous. You'll be fine."

Toni nodded in agreement with Kori. "Yeah, it's not like this is your first date ever."

Toni did bring up a good point Karen thought. This wouldn't be her first date with a guy. In fact, Mal would be the fifth guy. During middle school Karen had dated three guys, nothing long term, before finally beginning a relationship with Vic. She had nothing to be afraid of, she had done this type of thing before. It wasn't like Mal was some sort of monster who hid under the bed. He was just a very attractive teenage boy who she was going on a date with...

Karen threw her head on to the table. "I can't do this!"

"Yes you can."

"No I can't."

"Okay, Karen, look at me." Kori ordered.

"No." was the muffled response from Karen.

"Karen Beecher, look at me."

Karen lazily rose her head and looked at Kori.

"You are going on that date, do I make myself clear," Kori said firmly. "This is the golden chance of opportunity knocking at your door. You will take it, and you will enjoy it."

"But, Kori--"

"Don't you 'but Kori' me. It's clear that you like Mal. And he likes you. There is nothing to worry about."

"But he didn't even tell you where we were going for the date. All he said was to dress nice. What if I'm too over dressed, or under dress? What if I break a heel, or--"

"You're being paranoid." Toni said in a sing-song voice.

"Okay fine, I'll try and chill... but if my date goes bad I'm gonna say I told you so."

TT

Karen raked her brush through her locks of hair. She was having a tough time with her hair, she couldn't figure out which way to style it. At first she had it curly, then she put it in a ponytail, and as of now it was currently down and straight. A frustrated sigh passed through her lips and her hands fell to her side. Her hair flopped down in front of her face, covering her eyes.

Karen blew at her hair, glaring at her vanity mirror. "Aw screw it. I'm putting it in a bun."

Karen began to manipulate her hair, pushing it behind her head. Just as she was about ready to tie up her hair, she heard the door bell from downstairs.

"Oh crap," Karen quickly grabbed her heels, letting her hair fall in the process. "He's early."

Karen reached the foyer, pausing at the door to slip on her shoes, before opening the door. She wore a wide smile while she opened the door, expecting to see Mal on the other side. However, the person she least expected to be standing outside her door met her gaze. A look of complete shock spread across Karen's features.

"Vic?"

Standing outside Karen's door was Vic, in the flesh. Karen couldn't help but think how awkward this moment was. She was ready to go out with Mal, who she hoped she could develop a relationship with, and standing outside her door was her ex-boyfriend. Karen bit her lip, judging by the look on Vic's face he also found this situation to be a bit awkward. Why it would be awkward for him, she had no idea. He didn't know about her date with Mal.

"Wow...," Vic looked Karen up and down. "You look nice."

"What are you doing here?" Karen had dismissed his compliment, hoping to get Vic away from her home as soon as possible. She could only imagine the awkwardness that would happen if Vic was still here when Mal showed up for their date.

Vic crossed his arms, suspicious. Karen was never one to dismiss a compliment, plus she looked nervous. "Why are you all dressed up?"

"Answer my question first and I'll answer yours."

"No deal. You're up to something and I want to know what," Vic crossed his arms. "Tell me."

Karen narrowed her eyes. "No."

"Fine," Vic walked into Karen's home and sat on the stairs, an amused grin on his face. "Then I'll just make myself comfortable."

"Vic, you have to leave now. I don't have much time until my..." Karen pursed her lips. She had almost spilled the beans.

Vic rose a brow. "Your _what_, Karen?"

Karen released a defeated sigh. She didn't have a choice but to tell Vic the truth, if she didn't she feared he would never leave. "I... have a date tonight."

"Oh," Vic cleared his throat. It all made sense to him now. Why Karen was so dressed up and why she wanted him gone. She had a date. For some reason Vic suddenly didn't feel too good. "That's... that's great. I'm happy for you."

"Okay," Karen desperately wanted to change the subject. "Your turn. Why are you are here?"

Vic reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it to her. "These were the notes you let me borrow. We have a test coming up soon so I thought it would be best to return them. Had I known that you had a date I would have given them to you at a different time."

"It's alright. No harm done." Karen assured the larger teen.

"Well I guess I'll be going then," Vic said softly, standing up. He made his way to the door. "Have fun on your date."

"Vic...," Karen stopped him before he left. "Thank you... for the compliment."

Vic smiled a small smile. "Just speaking the truth."

TT

Not that long after Vic's departure Mal had showed up at Karen's door. He looked quite charming in Karen's opinion. Mal was dressed in blue jeans, a blue button-up shirt and a black blazer. Karen couldn't help but compliment him on his appearance.

Whilst Karen took in the sight of him, Mal only had eyes for her. In his opinion, Karen looked absolutely stunning. Her hair was up in a tight bun, and she had on little make-up that brought out her natural features. She wore a yellow halter dress that ended just past her knees, along with silver shoes that tied around her ankles. On her wrist were yellow bangles and she also wore yellow earrings.

"You look incredible," Mal breathed out. He stuck out his hand, presenting a bouquet of orchids, smiling a her. "These are for you."

Karen accepted the gift gratefully. "Wow, these are so pretty," she smiled at the boy before her. "Thanks, Mal."

Mal linked arms with Karen and lead her towards their ride for the night, his father's blue Mustang. Once they approached the car, Mal quickly disconnected from Karen and opened the passenger door for her.

Karen grinned at him and slid into the front passenger seat. "What a gentleman."

"Well I aim to please." Mal said, closing her door. He quickly went to his side and got in the driver's seat.

"So, where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there." Mal said, pulling out of the driveway.

"I don't even get a clue?"

"No," Mal grinned before taking off. "But you can choose the radio station."

Karen rolled her eyes and playfully hit him in the arm. She fiddled with the radio for a minute or two before finally settling on a station that was playing Fall Out Boy. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Mal mouthing the words and bobbing his head to the beat. Karen giggled at his antics and did the same.

As the car ride continued, Karen eventually began to notice the scenery past by. So far, Mal had driven by the mall, the park and the movie theater. Karen couldn't help but wonder just where the heck he was taking her. She began to think of a few places, but quickly dismissed them all when she saw the blur of the beach past by.

Karen began to panic. Was Mal taking her to the beach? She couldn't go to the beach, she didn't have a swim suit with her, and there was no way she was going to jump in the water with her dress on. Besides, it was beginning to get late. Evening time was approaching, she could tell by the colors of the sky.

The car came to a halt and Karen looked out the window. The pier. They were by the pier... Why were they by the pier? Before Karen could ask the door on her side was opened and a hand was presented to her. Karen instinctively took the hand offered to her, and once she was eye level with Mal she noticed the wide smile on his face.

"Come on." he pulled her hand gently, leading her towards the docks.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Walking further down the docks Karen's eyes met with many boats and private yachts. This made her even more curious as to what Mal was planning.

"We're here," Mal said suddenly, stopping. They were at the edge of the docks, and in front of them was a vast yacht, painted all while except for the black stripe running across it and the name 'Gabriel's Horn' printed on the side. Mal leaped on deck and turned his head to the side. "You coming?"

Karen's mouth was agape. She couldn't believe this. "You're not serious? Tell me you're not serious."

"Ah, but I am serious. My father owns one of the most successful restaurants in Jump City, so with his money he got himself a boat. A boat that is all ours for tonight." Mal grinned and extended his hand. "Our date awaits."

Karen carefully boarded the yachet with a helping hand from Mal. "I can't believe you're taking me on a boat ride for our date."

"Well believe it," Mal looked up at the driver of the yacht. "Edwin, let's take this thing for a spin."

"Yes sir." the man said quickly, rushing off to go steer the yacht. It wasn't long until the boat left the docks and ventured out into the open sea.

TT

Karen sat by Mal as the yacht gently rocked against the small waves. She sipped at her can of ginger ale in content. Mal had packed them a picnic basket of dinner, which included mashed potatoes and chicken, along with apple pie for dessert.

"So you made all of this by yourself?" Karen questioned, setting down her empty can of soda.

Mal nodded. "My parents taught me how to cook. They wanted me to learn something besides musical instruments."

Karen shifted in her seat so she could have a better look at him. "Just how many other talents do you have?"

"Lots." was his vague response.

"That's not much of an answer."

"I know," he said cheekily, moving in his seat to better face her. "What about you? What talents do you have? Besides singing of course."

Karen dipped her head in a shy manner. "I don't know... Nothing I guess."

"I find that hard to believe. There has to be something," Mal insisted. "What do you like? Any hobbies?"

Karen chuckled as she searched her mind for an answer. "Does shopping count?"

Mal laughed. "Not really a hobby, but okay."

"Shut up, I was just kidding," Karen gave him a light shove. "Well... I'm pretty good at dancing."

"Dancing," Mal questioned, eyebrows raised. Karen nodded. Mal suddenly stood up. "I like dancing. Let's dance."

"What, right now?"

"Sure, why not." Mal extended his hand.

Karen took his hand, still unsure about his request. "But there's no music."

"Sure there is," Mal said, putting a hand to her waist. "Just think of a song you like and play it in your head. When you think about it, it's like you're actually listening to it."

"But--"

"If you do it in Mr. Mod's class than you can do it here."

Mal had a good point there. Karen, along with many other students who took Mr. Mod's class, would tune the cherry red haired teacher out while he would lecture them. Everyone had different ways of doing this. For Raven, it would be writing poetry. For Jenn, it would be sketching. As for Karen, her escape was music.

As he pulled her closer, Karen found herself lost in a silent beat. At first she was skeptical about dancing with no music present, but when Mal wrapped his arms around her it didn't seem to matter. His movements were the only beat she needed.

Mal grinned and dipped her, causing Karen to release a laugh. He brought her back up and spun her around, then he pulled her in so her back was pushed against his chest.

"How are you enjoying our date so far?" he asked softly.

Karen leaned her head back against his shoulder. "I'm enjoying it immensely."

"Good to hear."

TT

"What was your first date like?"

The question was so out of the blue that it caught Karen off guard. Currently Mal and her were consumed in silence. The sky had gotten darker and they were on their way back to the docks. Karen turned her gaze away from the water to look at Mal, eyebrow raised.

"Why do you want to know that?" Karen thought his question was rather odd, especially based on their current situation.

"Just trying to make conversation. So what was it like?"

"It was simple," Karen answered. "He took me out for pizza, and we talked for a bit. Then it was over." Karen grinned at Mal, deciding to turn the tables on him. "What was your first date like?"

"Crowded," Mal laughed at Karen's perplexed expression. "It was a school dance."

"Were you nervous?"

"Nah. It wasn't such a big deal."

"What about tonight," Karen asked softly. "Were you nervous about tonight?"

There was a long pause of silence until Mal spoke again. "To be perfectly honest... yeah, I was nervous about tonight... Were you?"

Karen scoffed, a cool expression on her face. "Me, nervous? Please, as if. Not at all... not one bit."

Mal smirked coolly. "Really? Not at all?"

Karen studied Mal's features. It looked as if he knew something she didn't. Was it possible that he called her bluff? Karen released a defeated sigh. "Maybe just a little."

TT

A blue Mustang settled into a driveway, and in the front seats sat Mal and Karen. They sat in silence, each to shy to go to the next level. Karen glanced at Mal and figured she should say something, after all Mal had gotten them this far, she felt as if she should finish it. Karen opened her mouth to speak but Mal beat her to it.

"You enjoyed yourself tonight, right?"

"Yeah, I did."

"So... how would you feel about a second date?"

Karen smiled excitedly. "Are you asking me out for another date?"

"That depends... If I say yes will you?"

"I don't know, that depends," Karen giggled at the expression of his face when she used his own words against him. "Maybe you should ask me first."

"Fine," Mal shifted in his seat to look at her. "Karen, will you go out with me? Again."

"I would love too. But next time, give me a warning as to where we will be going." 

"Can do."

A moment of silence passed and Karen felt her cheeks heat up. She was right outside her house. All she had to do was leave the car and walk to her front door. Mal had promised her another date, she was satisfied with that, now the date should be over.

Yet she couldn't make herself leave. There was still some unfinished business between her and Mal. And since Mal wasn't moving, and his cheeks were red like her own, Karen guessed he knew exactly what that unfinished business was.

Karen had a silent debate with herself before she overcame her nerves. In one swift motion Karen pressed her lips to Mal's and pulled away. There, she did what she had been longing to do since the moment he took her upon the yacht.

And now Mal did what he wanted to do. He had taken Karen's kiss as a sign that things had gone well for tonight, but just to be sure he kissed her back, this time extending the kiss. He left hand went to her cheek and his right hand went behind her head. Karen's hands grasped the front of his blazer, all the while loving the kiss that she was sharing with him.

In the corner of her mind, Karen couldn't help but think that Kori and Toni would be the ones saying 'I told you so'.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO Agent of the Divine One, ravencherithgirl, Ace.04, featherpen13, BerryDrops, Hidden Iris, jcyz, Trimacle, BeastgirlRaven, cookiesruletheworld, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, Daniella, TerraBB4Eva, The-Sesshy-Star, MathGeek1o1, StarReader86, writing4eva, Frovag Thing??..., RavenSis, xo, xxScriblezxx AND mysteree101 FOR THE MOST WONDERFUL REVIEWS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I HOPED YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

**TO ravencherithgirl, I'M GLAD YOU LIKED LAST CHAPTER. LOL, YES. TERRA CAN STAND UP FOR HERSELF. IF SHE EVER GETS IN A FIGHT WITH KITTEN I'LL HAVE TO SELL TICKETS, LOL. THANKS FOR REVIEWING.**

**TO Daniella, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEW. I'M GLAD YOU LOVE THE TERRA AND GAR ACTION FROM LAST CHAPTER, AS WELL AS THE GYM SCENE. LOL, THE GYM SCENE WAS MY FAVORITE PART FROM LAST CHAPTER. ROY AND JADE WILL COME AGAIN SOON, PROMISE.**

**TO Frovag Thing??.., THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEW FOR LAST CHAPTER. I'M GLAD YOU LIKED IT. I HAVE NO PLANS ON BRINGING BACK LEON, BUT HEY, YOU NEVER KNOW. **

**TO xo, THANKS FOR THE REVIEW. IF YOU READ MY STORY Sick Cycle Carousel, IN THE CHAPTER LABELED AS Thanks for the memories, YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHY DICK CALLED THEM STRAYS. IT'S BECAUSE KORI HAD TAKEN THEM ALL IN WHEN THEY WERE ALONE.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: VIC IS HAVING GIRL TROUBLES.**

**REVIEW**

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	27. Of fine arts and juvenile pursuits

Vic held Sara's hand as they walked side by side in the mall. In front of them were Laura, Marco, Nicole and Dan. Marco and Laura had wanted to go shopping and had insisted that Nicole, Dan and Sara come with. Sara, who didn't want to feel left out despite the fact that she would be amongst friends, had invited Vic to come along. Vic, wanting to be a good boyfriend, had eagerly agreed.

"Who ever invented the first mall is a person to be praised," Marco said, looking over his shoulder and at his friends. He smiled. "Genius idea I tell you."

"Marco, you also think that strip poker is a genius idea," pointed out Nicole dryly. Dan, who had his arm around her waist, smirked at the idea of playing strip poker. "Forgive me for disagreeing with you."

Marco poked out his tongue. "Boo! You're no fun."

"But you know what is fun?" Laura questioned, a wide smile on her face.

Marco smiled at her, and together they said "More shopping!"

"Why do we put up with those two?" Nicole asked Sara.

Sara chuckled. "Because they make us laugh."

Suddenly, Dan tore away from the group, much to Nicole's dismay. She crossed her arms and frowned, eyes narrowed. Dan had ran up to a game store, his hands and face pushed up against the glass as he looked inside. Inside the store was a standee of a new upcoming game. The standee was a warrior character with a sword in hand.

Dan was practically drooling. "Diamond Quest... One of the best video games ever created... I must have it."

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Video games... He ditched me for a video game."

"What do boys see in video games anyway?" Laura asked.

"Don't ask me. I don't play video games," said Marco. "It's bad for your thumbs."

Sara nodded in agreement, also sharing a dislike for video games. "I'm glad you're mature enough to not play video games, Vic... Vic?"

"He's not as mature as you think," Nicole noted, pointing at the direction of the video store. Vic had joined Dan against the glass, a grin on his face as he admired the standee. "Check out Dumb and Dumber."

"Dude... I am _so _gonna get that game when it comes out." Vic said.

"I hear you man," replied Dan. "That game is gonna be sweet!"

"I wish I could play it now!"

"Me too!"

"Well... at least the two of them are bonding," Marco offered in an attempt to break the silence that had settled between him and the girls. He paused and stomped his foot, eyes narrowed. "So not fair! How come _I'm_ not in that male bonding moment?"

Sara closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. A wave of embarrassment washed over her because of Vic's antics.

TT

Sara had an inner turmoil brewing inside her. The relationship she had been building with Vic had come into question, and now she was unsure of what to do. She liked Vic, she really did, he was one of the sweetest guys she had ever met, but... He was just so immature.

It was a fact that Sara hadn't come to fully realize until just recently. She knew Vic could be childish as times, everyone was every once in awhile, but Vic could act like a little kid at times and it was embarrassing.

He was her boyfriend for crying out loud, not five years old. He should act his age, Sara thought. He was in high school after all, not elementary school, he couldn't play video games and got to carnivals forever. Those types of things should be left behind while wisdom filled its place.

Which is why Sara was at odds at the current moment.

Vic was immature, that was a fact. But he was also extremely intelligent, also a fact. Sara couldn't for the life of her figure out how one could be both sides of the coin. To her, it was either one or the other. Either you were heads, or you were tails. In this case, it was immaturity versus maturity.

Deep down inside Sara liked the silly side to Vic, it was a change from the type that she usually dated. It was cute at first, but now it was beginning to be embarrassing. She wasn't sure if she could handle much more. She liked Vic, but she was becoming tired of his childish ways.

Currently, Sara and her friends were hanging out at her house, in the living room.

"What should I do?" Sara asked her closest friend, Marco. Marco, despite being a bit backwards at times, was her rock. She could always depend on him and she valued his opinion at the moment.

"Well hon, this is quite the pickle," Marco said, hand on his chin and in deep thought. He turned to the others. "What do you guys think."

"It is true that you and Vic are extremely different," began Laura. "But you know what they say, opposites attract."

"But they don't always work well together." pointed out Nicole, being the painfully blunt person that she always was.

"It worked for you." Laura pointed out, smirking at Nicole and Dan.

"Like I said, it doesn't always work well together. Just because it does for a few, doesn't mean it works for all."

"Well I like Vic," Dan announced. "He's a cool guy. Like me!"

"It's not about whether or not if he's cool," Sara responded. "It's about whether or not if he's the right type of guy for me... and I'm starting to think that he's not."

"Sara, if you're not satisfied with your relationship with Vic, then don't stay with him," said Marco softly. He thought Vic was a great guy, but Sara was his friend, and her happiness meant a lot to him. "You need to do what makes you happy."

Sara threw her arms around Marco, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Marco."

She detached herself from the boy, grabbed her cell phone, and left the room.

TT

Vic sat on the pea-colored couch in Gar's basement, which had taken on the role of a citadel for the teenagers when they wanted to hang out, away from the outside world. On either side of him sat Kori and Gar, both who were trying to comfort him. The football player was depressed for one reason, and one reason alone. That reason was simple.

The reason was Sara.

Vic had been enjoying himself up until now. It was just him, Kori, Dick, Gar, Karen, Raven and Terra (who Gar had invited). They were playing cards, joking around and eating snacks, what they normally did. That's when Vic's cell phone began to vibrate, alerting him that he had a text message. They had paused their game of Uno so Vic could check his phone, and when he did he wore a crestfallen expression on his face.

Sara had broken up with him via text message.

Not only was Vic crushed, but he was also humiliated. His girlfriend had broken up with through a text message. She didn't even explain why. The message just read _'Vic, I can't deal with this anymore. It's over between us'_.

No sorry, no explanation. Just _'it's over'_.

It had come as a huge blow and shock to Vic, hitting not only his heart but his ego as well. He couldn't figure out why Sara would want to break up with him. He was a good, respectful boyfriend. He took her out places, he would compliment her and he even went to those damn fine art places she liked. What did he do wrong to make her want out on their relationship?

Vic asked his friends, hoping they could answer his question.

Karen had an idea. "Well... did you cheat on her?"

"Karen." Kori scolded, glaring at her friend.

Vic pretended that he didn't hear her comment and buried his face in his hands.

"No offense or anything, but this Sara girl sounds like a bitch." Terra said.

All eyes turned towards the blonde.

Terra gulped nervously and tried to explain her reasoning. "C'mon, I'm sure most of you were thinking it. I mean, it's real fucked up to break up with someone through text message."

"I agree with Terra." announced Gar.

Raven rolled her eyes. "As much as I hate to admit it, I'm with them on this one. What Sara did was harsh."

"And if Sara cared at all she would have told you to your face." Kori said softly.

"Yeah, like I did with Kori when we broke up." Dick added. He earned a glare from Kori and stepped away from her.

"Wait a minute, you two broke up," Terra inquired. She was deeply surprised. To her, Dick and Kori seemed like the perfect couple with no flaws. "When and why?"

"Sophomore year and it's complicated," Kori uttered. "I'll tell you at a different time."

"I can't believe Sara broke up with me," Vic murmured sadly. "I thought everything was going great. Just the other day we were hanging out and holding hands. What could have possibly happened?"

Karen snickered and bit her lip to keep from laughing. Her cheeks began to turn red as she tried to hold back her laughter. She couldn't hold it any longer and she began to howl with laughter.

Vic glared at her. Was his pain that amusing to her? "What's so funny, Karen?"

"You are! This whole damn situation is hilarious," she answered, laughing some more. "You cheated on me with Sara, then you started to date her and now the two of you are breaking up. This is either karma or ironic, or both, I don't care. This is funny!"

Vic stood from his seat and grabbed his coat. "I'll catch you guys later."

And with that said he bolted for the stairs.

Karen felt someone pull her by the ear and she immediately stopped laughing. "Ow!"

Kori gave Karen's ear one final yank before letting go. "Karen Beecher, you should be ashamed of yourself! How dare you treat Vic that way?"

"But, Kori--"

"Go apologize to him now." Kori wasn't leaving any space for rebuttal, so Karen did as she was told and bolted towards the stairs, hoping she would catch Vic before he left.

"So...," Terra broke the silence and eyed Dick and Kori. "Why did you two break up sophomore year?"

Meanwhile... Karen had rushed through the door, taking a quick glance around to see if she spotted Vic. Upon seeing his car still parked in the driveway she sighed in relief. Walking over to ti she tapped the window.

Vic tore his forehead away from the steering wheel and looked up at her. He looked away and unlocked the doors.

Karen quickly slipped inside and shut the door behind her. The car became filled with silence.

Karen cleared her throat. "I'm sorry... you know, for laughing."

Vic turned his head to gaze out the window on his side, completely silent.

Karen sighed, thinking that Vic was probably giving her the silent treatment because of her actions. She continued. "The reason why I laughed is because, well... I'm still hurt. Our breakup was a messy one and what you did... I guess I was kind of happy that you were feeling the pain that I felt. A taste of your own medicine. But two wrongs don't make a right, and it was wrong of me to laugh," Karen put a hand on Vic's shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Vic. What happened between you and Sara sucks. You don't deserve that type of treatment. No one does."

"I wanna go home..." Vic mumbled.

Karen could tell that he masked his words. What he wanted was to be alone, and for her to get out of the car.

"If you need to talk we're all here for you... I'm here for you." Karen added softly before stepping out of the car. She knew exactly how Vic was feeling. What he needed was some time to himself.

Once she was out of the car Vic took off.

TT

Vic had begun to distance himself from his friends, and his once cheery attitude had deflated like a balloon. His break up with Sara had hit him harder than anyone expected, and his friends were beginning to worry. It always hurt when one of their friends were depressed, so the goal was to cheer Victor up and get him back to normal. It was a mission that Kori, Dick, Karen, Gar, Raven and Terra had decided to take on.

The group of six had ventured to Vic's home and were let in by his father. They then traveled upstairs to Vic's room and knocked at his door. When they got on answer Raven narrowed her eyes and walked in anyways, opening the door for herself. The other shrugged and followed her in, only to see that Vic was deeply engrossed in playing a video game.

Kori gave Gar a little push forward, seeing as he was the closest to Vic. Gar stumbled awkwardly before catching his balance. He glanced at the others and they made a gesture for him to say something to Vic. Gar cleared his throat and looked back at his best friends, who either didn't notice their presence or just didn't care. "Hiya, Vic. It's um, good to see you."

Vic grunted and clicked at his remote control, eyes focused on the television screen before him.

"So, Vic...," Gar paused as he thought of something to say. He snapped his fingers and smiled. "Me and the others were gonna get something to eat. Maybe we can go to that steak house you like so much." Gar hated Vic's favorite steak house, but he was willing to put that aside if it meant cheering Vic up. "Sounds good?"

"I don't feel like going outside." was Vic's short response.

Gar shrunk back and Kori took a step forward. She sat down besides Vic.

"I made you a cake." she said.

Her announcement made Vic freeze out of fear. Kori wasn't the best cook out there, and Vic wasn't too fond of her food.

"But Terra ate it," Kori said, while Terra whistled innocently at that. She reached inside her sweater pocket and pulled out some candy. "But I have Skittles! You love Skittles."

"I don't want any candy right now, Kori."

Kori's eyes went downcast and she went back to stand with the others. It was Dick's turn now.

The ebony haired boy grinned at his friend. "Vic, I know you're sad right now but I know how to cheer you up."

Dick went over to Vic's radio and popped in a cd. He turned the volume on full blast and a beat of heavy metal music filled everyone's ears. Dick bobbed his head to the music while the others looked rather uncomfortable and covered their ears.

Vic glared at Dick. "Dick, turn that crap off NOW!"

Dick immediately did as he was told and turned the music off. Vic went back to playing his game while Dick went over to the others.

"You're turn." Dick muttered to Raven.

The goth girl bravely took a step forward, a speech in mind. She knew exactly what she wanted to say and she wasn't going to let Vic off the hook that easily. Vic was one of her closest friends, and at times he could be annoying, but Raven would rather hear one of his classic food fights with Gar than see him sad.

Raven opened her mouth to speak, finger raised.

Before she could get one word out Vic cut her off. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Raven practically fell flat on her face. Vic sounded so much like her, dry and unemotional. It was a shock that he would use that type of tone of voice against her. By him doing that, the speech she had planned flew out the window and she felt deflated. With her mouth closed shut and her hands by her side she rejoined the others, a scowl coming to her face.

"I tried," she whispered to the others. "Who's up next?"

"Not me," Terra said quickly, taking a step back. "If he can knock you out of the sky I don't stand a chance."

"Terra is out," began Gar, turning his gaze towards Karen. "It's up to you, Karen."

Karen's eyes went wide. "No, no, no, no. I can't do it. Vic and I... He won't listen to me."

"He might," Kori pointed out. "It's worth a try."

Karen bit her lip, her eyes focused on the floor.

"Karen, I know what happened with you and Vic left you two at odds, but he needs you."

"Fine... Can you guys leave us alone for a few minutes?"

The others nodded and stepped out of the room. Karen closed the door behind them silently, leaning against it. She turned her eyes towards Vic, who was still deeply involved with his video game. It was as if he didn't even notice her presence, or how the others just left. Clearly he needed awake up call, and Karen was just the person to give it to him.

She stepped over to the television and turned it off, ending his video game. Karen crossed her arms and looked at Vic with a stern expression on her face.

"Why'd you do that?" Vic asked angrily, glaring at her.

"Because you need closure."

"I need to be alone."

"You had plenty of time to yourself already," Karen snapped. "Now it's time to suck it up and stop pushing away the people who are trying to help you."

Vic scowled.

"Glare at me all you want, you know I'm right."

Vic's face softened a bit.

Karen sat down besides him. "I'm your friend, I'm here to help you. But I can only do that if you let me."

"Alright, I'll except your help," Vic said, sounding angry. "You can help me understand why Sara broke up with me. Help me understand what the hell I did wrong to make her break up with me! I've been nothing but good to her and she does this to me!"

"Well...," Karen eyed Vic sadly. "You did it to me."

A moment of silence passed between them as Vic took in her words, realization setting in.

"Oh... oh man," Vic was stunned. "Karen, is this how you felt when I...?"

Karen nodded her head. "Yeah."

"Oh, oh I'm so sorry. Karen... I..."

"It takes awhile to heal fully, in a lot of ways I think I still am, but it does help when you know the reason behind the break up, so you can dwell on it later and try to move past it," Karen placed a hand on Vic's shoulder. "It's going to be hard, but I think you need to go and talk to Sara. Once you have some answers, you'll feel a lot better."

"Yeah... yeah, you're right," Vic quickly stood up and bolted for the door, tossing a few words over his shoulder. "Thanks for the talk, Karen!"

Karen smiled, glad that she was able to help. "No problem!"

TT

Vic was glad that he spoke with Karen. Her advice was just what he needed. Because of her, he was finally able to realize why the break up was hurting him so much. He needed to know why Sara broke up with him. He needed to a reason. Leaving things open with an unsolved riddle would only prevent him from receiving closure.

Vic took Karen's words to heart and had left his home as fast as possible, ignoring the stares of his other friends. Once he was in his car he drove over to Sara's house, hoping that he would receive some answers, answers that he so desperately needed.

At the current moment Vic found himself knocking on Sara's front door. There was no way he was going to wimp out. He was going to speak to Sara.

The door finally opened and Vic found himself face to face with Sara. For a split moment he was captivated by her beauty, but then he remembered how angry he was at her and shook his head of any distractions.

"Sara, we need to talk." Vic said firmly.

"Okay," Sara replied simply, stepping out on to the front porch with him. "I think I know what this is about."

"You do? I mean, yeah," Vic suddenly felt jumpy and fought with himself to regain his composure. "I want some answers. For starters, you can tell me why you broke up with me."

Sara decided to keep a level head and answered Vic's question in a calm tone of voice. "I broke up with you because you're too immature."

"I-immature?" Vic was shocked. She had put him through all that pain just because she found him to be immature? Deep down inside Vic found himself agreeing with Terra's comment about Sara.

"It shouldn't come asa surprise to you, Vic. I mean, you still play video games, you like carnivals and you think putting straws up your nose makes for a good laugh."

"So, just because of that you don't want to be with me anymore? Sara, I broke up with a great girl because of you," Vic said softly, deeply hurt. And he knew that Karen was the one who ended their relationship, but who could think of technicalities at a time like this? "How could you do something like this to me?"

"Don't take it so personal," Sara replied, showing off some sympathy to the younger teen. "It's just that I've finally come to realize that you're not my type. I want to be with someone more mature, someone civil who shares my interest. You're just not the right guy for me. And besides, I'm on my final year of high school." Sara pointed out. "Then I'm off to college. It probably wouldn't have been able to last between us anyways."

Vic chose not to reply to her previous comments. He wasn't here to judge her, he was here for answers. And besides, there was plenty of time for that kind of stuff later on. "I get why you wanted to break up with me. But why did you do it over a fucking text message?"

Sara sighed. "Because... I didn't want to deal with _this_. All of this animosity. I figured a text message would have been a good way to avoid it."

"No... it was just an easy way of getting rid of me. A coward way," Vic responded, glaring. "I tried to be the best boyfriend I could be for you, going places I didn't even like for you!... And when the shoe was on the other foot you could only show conditional love for me." Vic turned his head to the side, a frown on his face. "Maybe... maybe it is better that we're apart."

"Thank you for understanding, Vic." Sara said gently.

"Well... I guess that's it then," Vic said softly before turning away to leave. He was halfway to his car when he stopped, turning around. "Sara!"

Sara paused at her door, turning around to face Vic.

There was a moment of silence with just the two of them gazing at each other.

Suddenly, Vic gave Sara the finger. Then he turned away and went to his car, driving away.

Sara narrowed her eyes and slammed her door shut.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO BerryDrops, featherpen13, Trimacle, Hidden Iris, cookiesruletheworld, raeXXstarry, Pirategirl0, Ace.04, TerraBB4Eva, Agent of the Divine One, Daniella, xxScriblezxx, BeastgirlRaven, ravencherithgirl, Duskgrowlthevampire, Lil-Mz.Sunshine, tennisgal456 AND jacob FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS. YOU GUYS ARE GREAT, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I HOPED EVERYONE LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

**TO Daniella, I'M SO GLAD YOU LIKED THE LAST CHAPTER. ESPECIALLY THE SCENES CONCERNING THE DATE. I PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT INTO KAREN'S DATE WITH MAL. OH, AND YES, MAL IS OLDER. HE'S A SENIOR WHILE KAREN IS STILL JUNIOR.**

**TO ravencherithgirl, GLAD YOU LIKE THE NEW COUPLE. I THINK MAL AND KAREN ARE CUTE TOO.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: THE BALL IS IN GAR'S HANDS. ALL HE HAS TO DO NOW IS DECIDED WHETHER OR NOT TO MAKE THE SHOT. WILL HE TAKE THE PLUNGE, OR WILL PAST EXPERIENCES HINDER HIM?**

**REVIEW**

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	28. Decisions

It was a brand new day at Jump City High School, and currently it was third period. Mr. Blood was in a foul mood today, so those who had him at the current moment for class were extremely unfortunate. He had made the students split up into teams of his choice, after that he would call up two teams to make them play a round of volleyball. The first team to score five points would win, and then the next group would have to go.

"I thought for sure that he was going to give us free time today." Kori muttered as she sat down on the bleachers besides Gar. Their team had just lost so they were able to come sit down and watch the next match.

The next team took the field, and one of the players just so happened to be Terra. The blonde girl waved at Gar before the game started, causing Gar to smile broadly and wave back at her.

Kori smirked. "I saw that."

"Saw what?" Gar inquired, turning his head to look at Kori.

"You both waved at each other," Kori smiled knowingly. "You like her."

Gar scoffed, his cheeks turning a cherry red color. He looked away from Kori's face. "No I don't."

"You do too! You like her," Kori called Gar's bluff. She had been in a similar situation like him last year, therefore she could tell that he was lying. "Why don't you ask her out?"

"Because she would say no." Gar stated.

"You don't know that," Kori pointed out. "Besides, you never know unless you try."

"Believe me, I have tried and failed lots of times," Gar answered bitterly. "Or did you forget about me asking out Raven?"

"Raven and Terra are two completely different people. You can't let what happened between you and Raven stop you from going out with Terra."

"Okay, so let's say I do ask Terra out, and we have this great relationship. It'll just go wrong later on and end between us," Gar said softly as old wounds began to reopen. "Just like it did with Jillian."

"You're situation with Jillian is completely different from this, Gar," Kori responded softly, feeling sad for her friend. She had thought that Gar had moved past his pain from Jillian and Raven, clearly there was still a spread of pain left. "You should take a chance with Terra. I'm pretty sure that she likes you."

Gar regarded Kori's words, but then disregarded them just as quickly. Kori always seemed to give out good advice, but this would be one of those times when he didn't take her advice. He didn't want to risk being hurt again.

In the past he had been hurt by two people, Jillian and Raven. Jillian had been the best girlfriend he had ever had, and Gar thought their relationship would be one to last. But fate had been cruel to him, or rather Jillian's parents had been cruel to him, and the relationship came to an abrupt end. Gar had felt devastated after losing Jillian, but he had managed to move past the pain and he set his sights on a different girl, Raven.

His feelings for Raven had come as a complete shock sometime around sophomore year, and at first he chose to ignore them. But then the feelings continued to grow and grow, and Gar had finally decided to lay his heart on the line. Once he did he regretted it immensely. Raven hadn't felt the same and rejected him. Gar was crushed after that.

Which is why Gar decided that he wouldn't ask Terra out. He liked her a lot, but he just didn't want to risk getting hurt again.

"Sorry, Kori," Gar replied. "But I'm not going to take a chance with Terra and risk getting hurt again."

TT

Roy made his way up the stairs, his destination Jade's room. School had ended not that long ago, but before coming home he had made a quick stop at the pizzeria, grabbing a large pizza pie with pepperoni on top. Jade's favorite.

As of lately Jade hadn't been feeling up to school and had been staying home a lot. At first this worried Roy, but after a trip to the doctor's office, which Roy had insisted upon and Jade had protested, the doctor said Jade and the baby were in perfect health. So, with worries put to rest, Roy had left the situation alone. If Jade felt like staying home every few days that was fine with him, he preferred her to be resting anyway.

Though he had to admit, he missed having her in class.

Jade's occasional absences from school had brought on a new routine for the couple. As soon as school was over, Roy would hop into his car, drive over to the pizzeria or a fast food restaurant, come home and share the food with Jade. If she was absent on one of his working days, then she would have to order the food herself and they would see each other later during dinner time.

Today Roy didn't have to work so he had got them a pizza to share. He recalled Jade mentioning a craving for pizza the other day. Opening the door to her room Roy walked in, a wide smile on his face. "Honey, I'm home!"

Jade was sitting on her bed, a magazine in hand. She smiled upon hearing his voice and looked up to see him. "Hey. How was school?"

"Boring since you weren't there," Roy replied, sitting besides her on the bed. "I brought pizza."

"Oh, yummy," Jade took the box from his hands and set it down, opening it. The scent of crust and cheese filled her nose. She smiled in delight and grabbed a slice. "So nothing interesting happened at school today?"

"Well, Mr. Mod went on and one about how we're having a test this week, and Mr. Blood made us play game after game of volleyball."

"So basically it's the same crap as always, huh?"

"Yup," Roy took a slice of pizza from the box. "How was your day?"

"Well, I finished reading another one of those baby books Dinah got for us, and then I watched a little bit of tv."

"So basically it's the same crap as always, huh?" Roy asked, using her previous words.

"Yup."

"Hey... Jade, I've been wondering about something."

"What about?" Jade asked before taking a huge bite out of her pizza.

"School."

Jade stiffened.

"I don't mind at all that you've been staying home lately, but what about school? You can't continue to be absent you know."

Jade placed her half eaten slice of pizza in the box. She grabbed a napkin, wiping her hands and mouth. This had been a talk she had been trying to avoid for awhile now, mainly because she wasn't sure what Roy's reaction might be, or how this would affect her future. Jade reached out for Roy's hand and grasped it in her own.

"Roy... I'm not... well, that is... I think... um..."

"Jade, just say what you want to say."

"Promise to hear me out without getting mad."

"Okay, promise," Roy said. "Now what is it that you have to say?"

"I... I'm thinking about dropping out of school."

Roy pursed his lips, his expression unreadable.

"Roy, I hate going to school being pregnant. Everyone keeps talking about me behind my back, I can't play in gym, I get exhausted easily and it's really stressful," Jade explained frantically. "In a couple of months the baby will be here and it'll need devoted attention. And I could always go back to school later, lot's of people do that and they turn out just fine. Besides, I can always--"

"Jade," Roy cut her off. "Enough. I'm okay with your decision."

"You... you are?"

"Yeah. I mean, if you're not comfortable at school anymore than I don't want you to go. The last thing I want for you is to be stressed out while your pregnant."

"So... you're really okay with this?"

"Of course I am," Roy said, taking Jade's hand in his and smiling at her. "I support you one hundred percent."

Jade wrapped her arms around Roy's neck, feeling relieved by his reaction. She had been so worried about what his reaction might be. For him to be okay with her decision was like a weight being lifted from her shoulders.

"Hey, Jade... Do you know how pist off your mom would be if she knew about this?"

Jade's thoughts turned to her mother. If her mother was to ever find out about her decision, Jade knew for a fact that she would be livid. But Jade didn't care. She hadn't spoken nor seen her mother for months. If anything, it was her father, Ollie and Dinah's opinion that mattered to her.

Jade pulled away and shrugged. "Who the fuck cares what she thinks."

TT

"So...," Vic tapped his thumbs together, looking at Raven expectantly. He was hoping that he would be able to make conversation with the violet eyed girl, but hadn't a clue as to what to say. "How've you been?"

"Fine," Raven moved a pawn across the board. She was over at Vic's house, playing chess with the young athlete. "Your move."

"C'mon, Raven," Vic exasperated. "I'm trying to make conversation here. The least you can do is actually try and talk."

Raven rolled her eyes. She knew if she didn't cave in now Vic would only continue to pester her. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well... Do you think I'm better off without Sara?"

Raven slapped her forehead out of frustration, dragging her hand down her face. "For the love of... Vic, I thought you were over Sara."

"I am," Vic insisted. "I'm just trying to make conversation."

"Really, so when we were at school earlier today why did you keep mentioning Sara?"

"I was making conversation!"

"Oh bullshit. Admit it, Vic, you just want a reason to talk about her."

"I do not!"

"So then let's continue our game in silence then."

"Fine." Vic moved his pawn forward and crossed her arms, drumming his fingers tips.

Raven had her eyes peeled on the board before her, her mind contemplating on which move she should make next. She raised her hand over the board, ready to make her move, but Vic interrupted her.

"Do you think Sara is regretting our break up? I mean, I know I'm not. I couldn't be happier, but she should be miserable. She lost out on a great guy."

Raven thumped her head against the table, bothered by the fact that Vic wouldn't shut up. She loved Vic, he was like a brother to her, but if he didn't shut up soon, Raven might just have to strangle him.

"Vic," Raven interrupted. He didn't hear her and kept talking. "Instant message for Victor Stone!"

Vic stopped his rambling when Raven used his full name and looked at her curiously. She had a sweet smile on her face, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Raven reached out and took one of Vic's hands in her own, her face warm and gentle. "Vic, you know I love you like the older brother I've never had, right?"

Vic nodded. "Yeah."

"And you know I would do anything to help you in your hour of need, right?"

Again, he nodded. "Yes."

"Now we know each other pretty well, wouldn't you say," once Vic nodded Raven continued. "And you know how easily annoyed I can get, right?"

Vic nodded, not sure exactly what Raven was trying to do here. Suddenly, he noticed how her face twisted to a scowl and she gripped his hand tightly. Vic bit his lip from crying out loud. Who knew Raven had such a strong grip?

"Vic, you're annoying me. I want you to stop annoying me, and stop talking about Sara. Do we haven an understanding?" Raven gripped Vic's hand tighter to get the point across and she saw him wince.

"I hear you loud and clear, Raven." Vic whimpered.

Raven released his hand and a look of relief came to his face. "Good... And besides, you're too good for Sara anyways."

Despite the pain throbbing in his hand, Vic smiled. "Thanks, Raven."

Raven narrowed her eyes. "Just don't go thinking I'm nice or anything."

TT

Toni flapped her arms around wildly as she felt her balance fly out the window. A shriek escaped her mouth as she fell flat on her butt and landed on the cold ice. She pushed her bangs out of her face and narrowed her eyes at the couple passing by who were giggling under their breath.

Alain skated over to her, a look of worry in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"No I am not okaa-aah!" Toni once again slipped on her butt as she tried to get up. A string of colorful language escaped her lips.

"Toni, are you sure you don't want my help?" Alain asked softly.

Him, Toni, Karen and Mal were on a double date, and the four of them had traveled to the mall. They chose to go to the inside ice skating rink, and since the moment they arrived Toni had been falling on her butt. She was horrible at ice skating, but she kept refusing Alain's help, insisting that she could skate on her own.

"For the last time, Alain, I don't want your help," Toni snapped as she finally stood to her feet. She wobbled and was about to fall over, but Alain caught her waist and kept her steady. She narrowed her eyes. "Let go."

"If I let go you'll fall." Alain pointed out.

Toni grumbled but swallowed her pride. "Fine... But I'm only letting you help so my jeans won't get ruined!"

Alain smiled and carefully lead Toni across the ice, his hands never leaving her waist as they skated. Meanwhile...

Karen bit her lip as she clutched the wall rimming the ice. Ever since they arrived on the ice, she had stayed by the wall. She didn't know how to skate very well on ice, so instead of attempting to like Toni did, she decided to play it safe and stayed by the wall. So far things were going okay for her. She had the wall to support her, and by leaning against it she was able to move a little bit without falling.

That's when Mal decided to skate up to her. He had a wide smile on his face.

"Having fun?" he asked, a knowing smile on his face.

"Loads of it," Karen said, clutching the wall even harder when she felt herself slipping. She narrowed her eyes. "How come you and Alain are good at this and Toni and I aren't?"

"Well, let's just say ice skating is another one of my many talents," Mal put a finger to his chin. "I can't speak for Alain, but maybe he's just good at anything that concerns water. Or frozen water in this case."

"Okay," Karen felt herself slipping again. "I want off of this stupid ice!"

"It's real fun once you get the hang of it. Here," Mal put his arm around her waist and gently tugged her away from the wall. Using his free hand he held on to her hand, making her find her balance on the ice. "Let me help you."

"So now you're going to coach me on how to ice skate too," Karen chuckled. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"Well... I can't draw very good," Mal confessed as they moved across the ice slowly. "Unless you find stick figures to be beautiful. Do you think stick figures are beautiful?"

Karen shook her head while laughing. "No."

After awhile, Toni and Karen finally got used to ice skating. They weren't as good as Mal or Alain, but they had finally stopping slipping and falling. Eventually, the small group of four had called a quits and left the ice skating rink. After much pleading from Toni they all headed to the food court. The girls had sent the boys off to go order the food, giving them the perfect opportunity for some girl talk.

Toni smiled an innocent smile. "So..."

"So..." Karen repeated.

"You and Mal seem cozy together. Is everything working out between you two?"

"Everything is going smoothly. Mal is so sweet, he's like prince charming, only younger."

"He does seem like a keeper."

Karen nodded in agreement.

While the girls conversed with each other, the boys stood on line, drowning in an awkward silence. They stood side by side, looking in opposite directions.

Alain cleared his throat and attempted to make conversation. "So... why do you think they call it hamburger? I mean, it's not made out of ham, so..."

"Totally," Mal and Alain turned to look at each other. "It's beef, not ham. It's like with French fries. They don't come from France so why call it that?"

"I know! The whole thing is crazy."

Things were no longer awkward between Alain and Mal, and they began to converse in a friendly manner.

TT

Jenn zipped up her black, knee length boot. She then pulled her jeans over it and repeated the action with her other boot. She was sitting at the edge of her bed, redressing. On the side of the bed was Wally, who was also redressing. Currently he was buttoning up his shirt.

Wally had a cheeky grin on his face. "That was amazing."

Jenn shrugged nonchalantly, her tone bored. "Yeah, I guess."

Wally turned to her, a frown on his face. "You guess? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just fine."

"Aha," Wally jumped up besides her, pointing an accusing finger. "You're lying! I can tell cause when a girl says just fine, it doesn't mean that she is 'just fine'. It means something is wrong."

Jenn looked absolutely stunned. "Did you... Did you make sense?"

Wally nodded but then paused. "Hey! I make sense lots of times."

Jenn pinched Wally's cheek. "Of course you do sweetie."

Wally pushed her hand away. "S-stop that. You're trying to change the conversation!"

Jenn rolled her eyes and laid back on the bed. "So what if I am?"

Wally laid besides her, using his elbow to keep elevated. "Did I... Did I do something wrong? I didn't hum again did I?"

Jenn chuckled. "No, you were great."

Wally smiled smugly at that.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just getting bored."

Wally frowned at that, a worried expression on his face. "Bored?"

"Yeah, I mean, we do the same thing every time. We go to school, we come to my house, and then it's my bedroom. I feel as if we're an old married couple."

"Well we sure as hell can't do it at my house. My aunt Iris would be there."

"I didn't mean it like that," Jenn sighed. "I just meant that we should try something different. Like when we were fooling around."

A dreamy expression came to Wally's face. "Yeah... those were some fun times."

"Exactly," Jenn sat up, relieved that she wouldn't have to explain everything to exact detail. "Back then we didn't do the same thing over and over. We experimented a bit."

Wally sat up as well, nodding in understanding. He took Jenn's words to heart, mulling them over. Wally was deeply satisfied with the way his relationship with Jenn was going, he especially liked what they did in the bedroom, but if it wasn't fun for Jenn anymore something had to change. The last thing he wanted was for her to not enjoy herself. And besides, trying something different would be enjoyable for him too.

Just what to do?

Wally gave deep thought to that question as he searched for an answer. It couldn't be nothing too erotic, if it was too erotic he would be setting himself up to be shot in the foot by his own inexperience. It had to be something simple that would quell Jenn's desire for change, but at the same time it had to be something they would both enjoy.

Wally looked over at Jenn. "We still have a couple of hours until your mom comes home. You wanna... take a shower? Together?"

Jenn rose a brow at Wally. "You mean...?"

Wally nodded.

"Rave you to the bathroom!"

The two teens made a dash for the door, Jenn taking the lead.

TT

Dick leaned against the door frame, arms crossed and a smile on his face as he watched Kori fondly. It was just the two of them babysitting Ryan. It had take awhile, but Kori had finally coaxed him to sleep. She was tucking the young boy in, making sure he was comfortable.

Dick shifted a bit in his position, suddenly feeling uncomfortable as he watched Kori handle a child. He knew Kori loved children, and that was beginning to make Dick think a lot about his future with Kori. Mainly he thought about how children would fit into their future. Dick shivered at the thought. Thinking about this stirred an odd feeling within him. It made him recall a nightmare he had not that long ago. It had happened a couple of days ago, while he fell asleep over a science text book.

Dick recalled the dream clearly... Even though he was older in his dream, he still looked the same as he did now, only with a suit and briefcase in hand. He had stepped out of his silver Porshe and stepped up to a house, unlocking the door...

_Dick pushed the door open, stepping inside his home with a grin on his face. Work had gone great and he was glad to be home. Taking off his jacket he called out for his wife. "Kori, I'm home!"_

_That's when Kori stepped into view, dressed in a very skimpy bikini and apron, holding a batch of freshly baked cookies. She looked the same as she did in high school. "Hello darling. How was work today?"_

_"It was a breeze as always," Dick replied, taking a cookie from the tray and bitting into it. It tasted marvelous. "But all I could think about was coming home to you."_

_Kori smiled sweetly at him. "We still haven't tested our new bed sheets."_

_"Well let's test them now!"_

_"No can do," Kori answered flatly. "You promised to spend the day with the kids, remember?"_

_Dick's face went blank. "Kids?"_

_"Yup, all ten of them." Kori answered with a wide smile on her face._

_"Ten?!" Dick spluttered._

_"Oh kids," Kori called. "Daddy's home!"_

_The ground began to shake as a group of kids came running out from different directions. They came running down the stairs, from the living room and the kitchen. There was five girls, all of who had black hair and green eyes, and five boys, all of who had flaming red hair and blue eyes. They all grinned at him._

_"Wha... how," Dick turned to Kori and rose a brow. "Weren't you just in a bikini?"_

_Kori was now fully clothed in a yellow sun dress. "Kids, daddy has promised to spend the day with you."_

_"YAY!" they all cheered at once, tackling Dick to the ground. They all began talking at once, asking for him to take him here and there, asking for money to buy toys and junk food and asking if they could have pets. They pulled and grabbed at Dick, yanking at his clothes and hair. _

_It was like being buried alive and Dick raised a hand in the air, hoping that someone would pull him to safety. "NOOOO!_

"Dick? Dick?!" Kori snapped her fingers in front of Dick's face, trying to gain his attention.

Dick was pulled back into reality. He looked over at Kori. "You say something?"

"I asked if you wanted to order a pizza," Kori crossed her arms. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no. I'm fine." Dick chuckled sheepishly.

Kori could tell something was up, but she decided not to push any further. "Okay, whenever you're ready to talk you know I'm here for you."

"What? What makes you think there's anything to talk about," Dick asked as Kori walked away. Dick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "That was one seriously messed up nightmare."

TT

Gar quietly and swiftly made his way to the basement, clutching his green iPod. He looked around his empty basement and turned his iPod on, stuffing it in his front pocket and putting on the headphones. A song from Fall Out Boy filled his ears and he began to dance to the music, singing along with the tune.

"Sugar, we're going down swinging!"

Gar had wanted to do this in the basement because of the privacy that it granted him. Had he done this upstairs Rita or Steve could have walked in, and that would have been embarrassing.

"Sugar, we're going down swinging!" Gar jumped up on the couch, doing an air guitar as he sang. His eyes were closed as he jumped up and down, pretending to play air guitar.

Unbeknownst to him, Terra had come over to his house and was let in by Rita. Currently, the blonde girl was making her way down the stairs and to the basement. That's when she caught sight of Gar jumping on the couch and singing.

Terra chuckled at the sight. She recognized the lyrics Gar was singing and found herself singing along. Getting into the mood, Terra went over to the couch and jumped on it as well, playing her own air guitar.

Her action caused a shift in the couch, and Gar noticed it. He opened his eyes and caught sight of Terra jumping on the couch along with him.

Gar screamed and fell backwards, falling off the couch and landing on the floor with a thud.

Terra noticed and immediately sat down, peering over the couch to see if Gar was okay.

Gar immediately stood up and pulled the headphones out of his ear. He brushed himself off and acted as if nothing had happened. "Hey, Terra. W-what are you doing her?"

"I got bored at home so I thought I'd drop by," Terra smiled at him. "You okay Elvis?"

Gar blushed and jumped over the couch, taking a seat besides her. "I'm fine. Probably bruised, but fine."

Terra laughed. "That was some rocking you did."

"Thanks. I think with practice I might be able to become better than Karen."

They both laughed at that and Terra playfully punched Gar's arm. He responded by giving her a small shove. Terra then leaned against the arm rest of the couch, smiling at Gar.

He smiled back at her. "What?"

Terra opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it, shaking her head. "Nothing, it's nothing."

Gar rose a brow. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

Terra giggled. "No... I just," she blushed and looked away. "... you looked really cute playing air guitar."

Gar's heart leapt at the comment but he decided not to make a big deal about it. He had to keep his emotions in check. "Thanks..."

Terra frowned. All she got was _thanks_. She had spoken with Kori and Karen at school, and they both assured her that Gar liked her. But now she wasn't so sure. She gave him a compliment and had barely gotten a reaction. Terra never considered herself to be good at the flirting game, but surely she deserved more than a mumbled thanks.

"Gar?" Terra decided that she would just ask him and get it over with. She was tired of waiting for him to do it.

Gar looked up. "What is it, Terra?"

"Do you wanna go out with me?"

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO featherpen13, clarkLover1, ravencherithgirl, MathGeek1o1, RavenSis, raeXXstarry, RabulaTasa, BeastgirlRaven, Trimacle, Agent of the Divine One, THUGG, Daniella, xxScriblezxx, Koriand'r Grayson, Ace.04, writing4eva, tennisgal456, cookiesruletheworld, jcyz, BerryDrops, cookiegurl15, TerraBB4Eva AND superanimated FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS. YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST!**

**TO clarkLover1, NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE, IT'S JUST GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK. THANKS FOR THE REVIEW.**

**TO ravencherithgirl, AGREE WITH YOU FULLY, VIC IS WAY TO GOOD FOR SARA. THANKS FOR THE REVIEW.**

**TO Daniella, THANKS FOR THE CONGRATS, BUT 27 CHAPTERS IS ONLY A DENT IN THE STORY. THIS STORY STILL HAS A LONG WAY TO GO. THANKS FOR THE REVIEW.**

**DRUM ROLL... EXTRA THANKS GO TO jcyz FOR BEING THE 600TH REVIEWER! AS A REWARD icyz, YOU GET TO ASK ME ONE QUESTION ABOUT THIS STORY, OR ONE OF THE TWO SEQUELS, OR EVEN When We Were Young IF LIKE. CHOOSE YOUR QUESTION WISELY.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: SOME GAR AND TERRA ACTION.**

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	29. Ready for love

Gar's face was blank as he processed Terra's words. Terra had just asked him out. _Him_. The girl he had secretly been crushing on, not so secretly, had just asked him out. Gar wasn't sure if this was a dream come true or a nightmare.

Sure, he liked Terra, a lot in fact, but he wasn't sure if going out with her would be a wise decision. What if it ruined their friendship? What if they did go out and the date went horrible? There was so many risk, risk Gar wasn't sure he wanted to take.

His mind kept going back to the day when he asked Raven out, and how she rejected him. And then his mind went to Jillian, and how they had a messy break up. After everything that he went through... He just wasn't sure if it would be worth it in the end.

That's when he thought about Karen and Kori. Gar secretly envied them for being so strong. They had gone through romantic hell and lived to tell the tale. They were able to move past all the hurt and the pain, they took risk and were currently enjoying themselves because of it, and they both had heathy relationships.

That's what Gar wanted, a heathy relationship. Someone who he could depend on and vice versa. And now the opportunity was being presented to him and he was to scared to take it. So much for being the boss of romance.

"Gar...," Terra called out to him, pulling him away from his thoughts. "Gar, I asked you a question. Can I get an answer here please?"

"I... I...," Gar shook his head. "Wow, um..." he looked at Terra. "Did you really just ask me out?"

Terra giggled softly. This is what she liked about Gar, he was able to make her laugh. "Yeah, I did. Is it really that much of a shocker?"

"When it comes to me, yeah," Gar put a hand to his chest, feeling his heart beat increase. Terra had just asked him out and he hadn't a clue on how to answer her. He didn't know what to do. He felt so confused. "Oh man..."

"Listen, Gar, if you want to say no... I'll understand." Terra said softly.

"It's not that I want to say no, it's just... it's complicated," Gar didn't know how to explain himself. He didn't want to hurt Terra, he really didn't, but this whole situation was difficult for him. "I like you, but--"

"Say no more," Terra said coolly, standing up. "I understand. Really, I do." Terra slowly made her way towards the stairs. "I'm... I'm gonna go now. See you later."

And then she bolted up the stairs, not once looking back.

Gar ran a hand through his hair, cursing himself as realization dawned on him. Terra had asked him out and he rejected her. He rejected her. _Her_. Terra was everything he wanted in a girl and more. And he _rejected_ her.

"How could I be so stupid?!" Gar asked himself as he jumped over the sofa and ran up the stairs. He had to catch Terra before it was too late.

Gar had finally let what Kori was telling him sink in. He couldn't base a possible future with Terra on what happened in his past. If he did that then he would miss out on a great opportunity, a potential happiness. Terra was too good a girl to pass up, he needed to grasp the chance he had with her. If something bad was to happen later on then he would have to deal with it then, not now. What he needed to do now was reach Terra before it was too late.

Gar quickly ran outside to the front of his house, glancing around frantically in hopes of seeing Terra. He spotted a head of blonde hair and quickly dashed towards it.

"Terra! Terra! Stop!"

Terra paused in her walk, turning around. She was surprised to see Gar running towards her. What could he possibly want?

Gar stopped running once he reached Terra, doubling over to catch his breath. He put a hand to his chest and tried to regain control over his breathing.

"Are you okay?" Terra asked, putting a hand on his shoulder and gazing at him in concern.

"I'm fine." Gar assured her, standing up straight.

"So what's with the running, coyote? Training for a marathon?"

"I... I...," Gar gulped and his cheeks turned red. "I wanted to know if the offer is still open. Is it?"

And awkward silence settled between the two. Then, Terra punched Gar in the arm.

Gar clutched the arm Terra hit. "Ow!"

"The offer is still open, but if you ever pull a stunt like that again I'll break your legs," Terra said darkly. She then smiled. "I'll call you tonight with details. Later, Gar."

She kissed his cheek before walking away, a bright smile on her face.

Gar placed a hand over the cheek Terra kissed, a cheeky smile forming on his lips. "Wow...," he turned around and began his way home. Gar was really glad that he decided to take that plunge. He pumped his fist in joy. "I got a date!"

TT

Against her own will, Terra was forced to go shopping. Once she and Gar confirmed their date plans, Terra was overwhelmed with joy. She had to tell somebody about the news, so she had decided to call Kori and fill her in. Thinking about it now, Terra believed that to be a grave mistake.

Once Terra told the bubbly red head about her upcoming date with Gar, Kori had insisted that she needed some new clothes to wear for the date. Terra had refused, but then Kori brought Karen in on the conversation via three-way phone call. The two girls had insisted that Terra go shopping for a new outfit.

Terra eventually caved in, and she now found herself as the mall with Kori, Karen and Raven. Raven had come along simply because she had nothing better to do, and she had pointed out that the whole journey to the mall was a pointless one.

Currently, the three girls were in one of Kori's favorite stores. Kori and Karen each had an outfit in hand and were presenting it to Terra. Kori had picked out a blue, v-neck shirt and jean skirt. She held it in front of Terra's body while Terra faced a mirror.

"This would look so perfect on you, Terra," Kori insisted with a wide smile on her face. "The blue matches your eyes."

"Um, the shirt is okay... but I'm not really into skirts." Terra replied softly. She really wished she was at an arcade right now. "

"Nonsense, everyone loves skirts!"

"But Gar and I are going to the carnival," Terra reminded. "I can't wear a skirt on the rides. People could see my... _panties_." Terra whispered the last word.

"You're amongst girls, Terra," Raven pointed out to the blonde dryly, leaning against a rack of clothes. "You don't have to be embarrassed about saying the words panties."

"Oh..." Terra ducked her head shyly.

"Fine," Kori grumbled, placing the mini skirt on the rack. "No skirts then."

"Terra, you would look great in this," announced Karen, holding up the outfit Karen picked out for her. It was a green tank top with ruffled edges, and a pair of black, skinny jeans. "The green will match Gar's hair, plus the jeans will help show off your curves."

"But I don't have any curves."

"Terra brings up a good point," Raven muttered. "She is _really_ thin."

Terra couldn't help but glare at Raven because of that comment. It was true, she was thin, but she didn't like the way Raven pointed it out. Had this been a different situation, and had they not been friends, Terra would have taken that as an insult, and that would have lead to a fight. Terra didn't care for being insulted, and in her old neighborhood no one would have gotten away with treating her wrongly.

"Maybe we should move to a different store," suggested Kori. "So far you haven't found anything you like, Terra."

"Oh no. No more stores! If we leave this store we'll keep jumping to a new one and a new one."

"Blondie brings up a good point." Raven said in agreement with Terra. A dislike for shopping, and malls, was one of the very few things Raven shared in common with Terra.

"But we need to find you an outfit." Karen insisted.

"I really appreciate you guys trying to help me look my best for my date," began Terra. "But I don't think it will matter what I wear. If Gar likes me for me it won't matter what I'm wearing."

"That's a very wise thing to say, Terra, and I agree with you fully," Kori began. "But how about you get at least one skirt. For later on!" she added when she heard Terra groan. "You never know when you'll need it!"

"If I buy on skirt can we get out of here and get some grub?"

"Yes." Kori and Karen answered in union. If Terra was to walk out with at least one article of clothing, they would feel as if they accomplished something."

"Fine, but only _one_ skirt!" Terra emphasized the fact of only buying one skirt. She didn't want any tricks from Kori or Karen that would lead to her buying numerous amounts of clothing.

"Agree." they replied with smiling faces.

"Okay, um...," Terra looked around herself and randomly picked out a blue skirt. "I'll get this one."

"That skirt would go great with--"

"Say one more word and I won't but the damn skirt." Terra threaten.

Karen grumbled. "Fine."

TT

With a shopping bag in hand, Terra and the girls made their way to the food court. They decided on one of the burger places and grabbed a table. Kori and Karen went to go order the food while Terra and Raven stood behind. The two girls sat across from each other, looking in different directions, and were consumed in silence.

Terra bit her lip, feeling troubled. She was starting to get the feeling that Raven didn't like her. After all, Raven kept throwing indirect comments her way, none of which sounded to friendly. Then again, for all Terra knew that could just be the way Raven operated.

But even if she had taken the comments the wrong way, Terra still wasn't entirely sure that Raven liked her. After all, at the present moment things seemed awkward between them. Had she been left at the table with Karen or Kori, or even Jade, Jenn or Toni had they been here, she was sure a conversation would have been taking place.

Terra twirled a strand of hair around her finger. She decided to come right out and ask.

"Raven," Terra began, grabbing the violet eyed girl's attention. "You don't like me, do you?"

Raven rose a brow. This was some way to start a conversation. "Why would you think that?"

"Well... I dunno, it just seems that way to me," Terra confessed. "I mean, we barely talked to each other since we met, and when we were at the store--"

"I'm not much of a talker. And I'm not exactly nice," Raven pointed out in her regular monotone. "Just because I act mean and can be rude doesn't mean I dislike you. That's just the way I am."

"Oh," Terra chuckled slightly in relief. "For a minute there I thought you didn't like me."

"Because I don't like you."

Terra's eyes went wide and she looked at Raven, searching her face to see if she was only joking. Upon seeing only a serious expression Terra clenched her fists, her eyes becoming narrowed.

"What did I do to you to make you not like me?" Terra asked angrily. She had been nothing but nice to Raven.

"I don't trust you."

Terra reeled back, becoming alarmed. She swallowed her anger and tried to remain as calm as possible. "And why do you not trust me?"

"I get a bad vibe from you," Raven answered coolly. "And I don't like you with Gar."

Terra smirked darkly. "Jealous, Rae-rae?"

Raven's eyes narrowed. "Not jealous. Just concerned. Gar has been through too much bullshit to be hurt again."

"May I remind you, that at one point you hurt Gar. And may I also remind you, that you're the one always slapping Gar behind the head and calling him names."

"Don't talk about my relationship with Gar like you know us, because you don't." Raven snapped.

Raven had her there, she didn't know much about Gar, or her, or the others in fact. But she intended to find out...

Raven glared at Terra and Terra glared back.

That's when Kori and Karen showed up.

"Okay people, we got the food," announced Karen, placing a tray on the table. "Who's hungry?"

"Me!" Terra answered, taking a tray Kori handed to her.

Kori took a seat. "So, what did you two talk about while we were gone?"

Raven and Terra eyed each other.

"Nothing." they answered in union.

TT

"C'mon, Vic! Please! Super, supreme, mega please! Please with a steak on top!" Gar begged.

"For the last time grass stain," Vic growled. "NO! Nobody drives my baby but me!"

Gar, Vic and Dick were hanging out in Gar's basement. Gar had invited his two, closest guy friends over for advice. His date with Terra would be any day now so he was hoping he could get some tips, as well as a favor.

Gar's date with Terra would be coming soon, and instead of taking her to the carnival on his moped, he had requested he take her in a car. So he went to Steve and asked him if he could borrow his car. Steve's answer was a firm no. When Gar asked why, Steve mentioned the time Gar had run into the mailbox. With Steve out, Gar turned to his friends. Dick had the same response as Steve. His reason was because he just didn't want too. Vic was Gar's last hope.

"C'mon. Vic! I'll be careful, I promise!"

"No! No! No! NO!"

"You know," began Dick, who was currently laying down on the sofa. "Instead of me having to listen to all this crap, why don't you guys find a compromise."

"Like what?" Vic asked, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. He didn't like the idea of finding a compromise when it came to his car.

"Well... instead of Gar borrowing your car, why don't you just drive him and Terra--"

"No way," Gar cut in immediately. "I don't want Vic driving me and Terra around on our date. "That's embarrassing!"

"Your hair is embarrassing," Vic muttered. Gar glared at him and he sighed. "Dick brings up a good point, Gar. I doubt anyone is gonna loan you their car. Me driving you may be your only option."

"I don't know..."

Just then they all heard footsteps. Down the stairs came Kori, Karen, Raven and Terra. Dick immediately sat up at the sight of Kori and smiled.

"Hey, Kori," Dick greeted her with a kiss and pulled her down to his lap." How was your day?"

"Good. The girls and I went shopping."

"What you get?" Vic asked.

"We didn't get anything, but Terra got a skirt." Raven answered with a grin. She chuckled when Terra sent her a glare.

Gar, who was sitting besides Terra, looked at her curiously. "You got a skirt?"

Terra blushed. "They made me buy it."

"What did you guys do?" Karen asked.

"Nothing much. Gar just needed some advice."

"About our date?" Terra asked, looking at Gar curiously.

This time, Gar was the one blushing. "Yeah."

Kori rose to her feet, much to Dick's displeasure. "Gar, can I talk to you in the kitchen? Alone."

"Uh... sure," Gar stood up and began to follow Kori up the stairs. Once they were in the kitchen he spoke. "Is something wrong, Kori?"

"That depends," she crossed her arms. "What kind of advice did Dick and Vic give you?"

"Well, Vic told me that I should take charge on our date, since I messed up and let Terra ask me out. He also told me not to tell any jokes. Dick told me that I have to put the moves on Terra, and that I should also try and act cool. Then they said--"

"Gar, listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you," Kori cut in. "Okay?"

Gar nodded.

"I want you to forget everything that Dick and Vic told you."

Gar blinked in surprise. "Why?"

"Because Terra likes you for you. Just be yourself and follow your heart."

"But Dick and Vic--"

"Meant well, but it's not them going on the date with Terra. You are. Just do what feels right and you'll be fine."

"If you say so," Gar face Kori a hug. "Thanks, Kori... Hey, Kori, do you think you could coax Dick into lending me his car?"

"No."

"Can't blame a guy for trying."

TT

Gar and Terra eyed each other but quickly looked away, both of their cheeks turning red. It was finally the day of their date, and currently they were in the back seat of Vic's car. Vic had agreed to drive them to the carnival.

Vic noticed the two through the mirror and shook his head. Wanting to be of some assistance to his best friend, he decided to speak, breaking the silence of the car. "Terra, you look great today. Don't you think she looks great, Gar?"

Gar glanced at Terra. She was dressed in her usual brown boots and gloves, but she also sported a brown belt. Terra was wearing a black shirt with a yellow T printed on the front along with yellow shorts. Hanging from her neck was her goggles.

Gar smiled. "Terra... you look great tonight. I mean, you always do, but I thought... well..."

Vic slapped his forehead. Gar was doing just fine until he started rambling. "Thanks, Gar. You look great too."

Gar was dressed in a black shirt, jeans and a grey vest. He also wore matching grey sneakers.

"Well, we're here," Vic announced as the car came to a stop. "Finally." he turned back to his seat. "Okay, you kids behave and no screwin' around!"

"Vic!" Gar snarled, glaring at his friend as he and Terra stepped out of the car.

"I'm playing, I'm playing. You two have a good time. Meet me here at eleven, okay," they nodded and Vic pulled out of the parking lot. He stopped and stuck his head out of the window. "And no screwin' around!"

"VIC!" Gar and Terra yelled in union. They glanced at each other, surprised that they had the same reaction, and laughed.

Terra took Gar's hand in hers and pulled him towards the entrance of the carnival. "C'mon, Gar. The carnival awaits!"

They ran through the entrance like two, jubilant elementary school students.

TT

So far the date had been going well, both Gar and Terra were enjoying each other and had smiles on their faces. The duo had already gone on many of the rides, such as the Haunted House, to which Gar had screamed like a little school girl when a ghost appeared in front of him, and the bumper cars. They also went on the roller coaster and Spin Cycle.

They had even won each other a prize at the game booths. Terra had showed off a good arm when she won a giant monkey for Gar at the baseball and bottles booth. Gar, who was horrible at the baseball and bottles booth, went over to the water guns booth and won Terra a giant puppy.

Currently, the two had decided to sit down and enjoy some food, taking a break away from all of the excitement. They found an empty table and sat down. They had each gotten themselves a funnel cake to eat.

"Are you enjoying yourself so far?" Gar asked, breaking off a piece of his funnel cake.

Terra nodded with a smile on her face. "So far this has been the best night of my life. Thanks again for winning Bingo for me."

Gar laughed. "You named it Bingo?"

Terra wrapped an arm around the large, green colored toy which had it's tongue poked out. "Yeah. He looks like a Bingo."

Gar laughed once more.

"Okay mister, what did you name your monkey?"

Gar glanced at the stuffed toy besides him. It was a brown monkey with a red hat and red vest, along with gold tambourines in its hands. "I named him Chip."

This time it was Terra who laughed. "Chip? Like potato chips?"

"Yeah. He looks like a Chip." Gar smiled at Terra and they both laughed.

TT

The clock was ticking, and Gar and Terra noticed that they had only enough time for one more ride. They had already gone on all of the extreme rides, the type that would send some running towards the nearest bush or trash can, so they decided their last ride would be something calm and peaceful. They decided to ride the Ferris wheel.

They stepped inside a red booth, sitting opposite of their stuff animals, and slowly rose into the sky. They sat in a comfortable silence, looking down upon the people below them.

"They look like ants." Terra joked.

Gar smiled at her, laughing at her joke. This had been a wonderful night for him, one of the best dates he'd ever been on he noted. He laughed and he smiled, he felt happy. All of the fears that he had before was washed away, and he was glad that he took that plunge with Terra.

Taking her hand in his own, Gar gave it a gentle squeeze. He looked at Terra, marveled by her beauty. She was an amazing girl, why she was with him and not some other guy confused him, but he wasn't about to complain.

Terra looked his way, looking perplexed. "What?"

Gar's cheeks colored. She had caught him staring. "Nothing."

Terra smiled at him. "We need to do this again some time. The two of us, I mean..."

Gar's heart skipped a beat in hope. "You mean another date?"

"Yeah, another date. Would you want to?"

Gar eagerly nodded. "Yeah, of course!"

"Great. I'll take you to this diner that has great pie. We can play pool and it'll be a blast."

The booth went higher and higher into the night sky, and Gar felt a desire burning within him. He had gotten this far alright, now it was time for the next step...

"Terra?"

Terra turned her head to look at the boy besides her. "Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

Gar paused a moment, trying to regain control of his nerves. His face was red and his eyes were focused on their joined hands. "Can I... kiss you?"

Terra stiffened and a blush came to her cheeks. She hadn't expected Gar to ask a question like that, but she was glad that he did. She nodded her head and leaned in half way. If he really wanted to kiss her, he would do the rest she decided.

It took a little longer than expected, but Gar finally closed the gap, and their lips met in a warm kiss. A spark jolted through them and it was as if fireworks were exploding.

And as the silver moon sparkled, they continued to kiss, not even stopping when the door to their booth opened.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO Duskgrowlthevampire, clarkLover1, BerryDrops, Ace.04, mysteree101, Koriand'r Grayson, Daniella, superanimated, Hidden Iris, THUGG, jcyz, cookiesruletheworld, featherpen13 AND cookiegurl15 FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST! I HOPED YOU ALL LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

**TO clarkLover1, I'M GLAD YOU LIKED DICK'S DREAM. THAT WAS MY FAVORITE PART IN THE CHAPTER AND IT WAS FUN TO WRITE.**

**TO Daniella, I'M GLAD THAT YOU LIKED HOW LAST CHAPTER FOCUSED ON EVERYONE. THANKS FOR REVIEWING.**

**OKAY EVERYONE, I GOT SOME EXTREMELY BAD NEWS. I START SCHOOL SEPTEMBER 2ND. IT'S HORRIBLE, I KNOW. IF UPDATES START COMING IN LATE, YOU KNOW WHY. BUT I PROMISE TO UPDATE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE EVEN THOUGH SCHOOL HAS ARRIVED.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: THE LOST CHAPTER, A SECRET REVEALED.**

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	30. Sick Cycle Carousel, the lost chapter

**Sophomore year. March.**

Kitten didn't know what was worse. The fact that she was suck playing nice, or the fact that Kori had a closer bond with Dick. She knew the two of them were friends, but it bugged her to see them together. She hated how close they were. If she wasn't the one dating Dick, one might think he was dating Kori. Kitten didn't like that one bit, and to be honest it made her jealous.

Dick and Kori had this 'all mighty friendship' that almost, or did, level her relationship with Dick. In Kitten's opinion, it wasn't fair. She had worked so hard to get in the position she was with Dick, she stopped being mean and had started being nice, even though it was only an act. And all of her hard work was in danger because of Kori. Call it paranoia, but Kitten had a feeling that Kori was out to steal Dick away.

Kitten couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't let that happen. Dick was her boyfriend, he belonged to her. What they needed, Kitten decided, was some time away from Jump City. Mainly, some time away from Kori. But Kitten hadn't a clue as how to do that.

That's when an invitation came in the mail. It was from an old friend of Kitten's who lived in Gotham. Her name was Helena, and she was throwing a party to celebrate her anniversary. The invitation emitted one plus guest. Perfect timing. This was just the kind of excuse Kitten needed to get Dick to herself and away from Kori. Now all Kitten had to do was convince Dick to come to the party with her.

Currently it was lunch time at Jump City High School, and Kitten was pleading with Dick to come to Helena's party with him.

"Oh please, Dick," Kitten begged, clinging to his arm and mustering up the sweetest face she could. Which was weak compared to Kori's 'the look'. "I can't go by myself. You have to come with me!"

Dick squirmed a bit, not liking the position he was put in. He looked to his friends for help, but they merely shook their heads. Dick looked at Kitten and cringed. The expression on her face resembled a bug-eyed insect with lipstick. "I... I..."

"_Please_!" Kitten whined, cuddling up to him even more. Gar stuck his finger in his month causing Vic to snicker.

"Why can't you take Mandy or Cindy?" Kori asked. She didn't like the idea of Dick and Kitten being alone for a whole weekend. She didn't trust Kitten.

Kitten wanted so badly to glare at Kori, but held the hateful expression back. "I can't take Cindy or Mandy. If I take Cindy, Many will get upset. And if I take Mandy, Cindy will get upset. And besides... I would just love to have my _boyfriend_ with me."

Kori felt like attacking Kitten at the emphasis of boyfriend.

"So what do you say, Dick," began Kitten, smiling at Dick and loving the fact that she was making Kori jealous, she just knew that Kori was envious of her right now. "Will you come with me."

In all honesty, Dick _really_ wanted to say no, but he didn't want to upset Kitten. And besides, they would be going to a party, it could be fun. Plus, it would be nice to go back to Gotham.

Dick smirked. "You know what, count me in."

Kitten clapped her hands in rapture, bouncing in her seat. "Yes! Dick, you are the best!"

Her compliment made Dick smile smugly. "Well, I don't know, mayb--"

Kitten cut him off and pressed her lips firmly to his in a passionate kiss. Dick instinctively wrapped her arms around her waist. Karen, Raven, Vic and Gar couldn't help but notice the crest fallen look on Kori's face.

TT

**Gotham High School.**

Currently it was lunch time at Gotham High School, at least it was for the sophomore class. Gotham High School only offered an inside lunch room for it's students, and behind the counter was an old, grumpy lunch lady. A girl wearing all black stepped up with a tray in hand. She had multiple piercing in each ear, blue eyes and short, black hair that framed her face.

The lunch lady slapped some slop on her tray known as "tuna surprise" and the girl frowned, walking away. She sat down at her usual table, by her two friends. She scrunched up her face in disgust and pushed her tray away.

"I hate this school." she muttered dryly, placing her chin in the palm of her hand.

"With food like this I don't blame you, Cassandra," said the girl sitting across from her with blonde hair and blue eyes. "Did you receive the invite to Helena's party this weekend?"

Cassandra nodded and turned to the girl sitting next to her. A girl who had orange hair and blue eyes. "Babs, did you get the invite?"

Babs nodded. "I did... but I don't think I'll go."

"What? Why?"

"Don't bother arguing with her, Betty," said Cassandra. "Babs never goes to these types of parties."

"I do so," Babs rebutted. "I went to the Christmas party."

"But that was so long ago," pointed out Betty. "You have to come with us."

"I... I'm busy that day." Babs lied, her eyes downcast.

"Liar, you just don't want to go because of that boy... what's that guy's name?"

"Dick Grayson." answered Babs and Cassandra simultaneously.

"That's the one. Babs, you're so hung up on that boy you haven't moved on with your life. For Pete's sake, you only saw him once, and that was when you were a kid! Give up already!"

Betty's words stung Babs and she looked away. What Betty said was true, but she didn't have to say it so coldly. After all, it wasn't her fault that she felt the way she did. She couldn't help it if she was fascinated by Dick Grayson, a lot of girls were.

Babs sighed as she recalled the time she first saw him. She was a little girl, only in elementary school, when her father had taken her to the circus. Not only was it her first time going to a circus, but it was also the first time in months that she would be spending quality time with her father. It was a special day for her, and she had enjoyed it immensely.

She had gotten to see all of the animals and had eaten tons of cotton candy. A clown had even made a balloon animal for her. But all of that was nothing compared to the main event.

The Flying Grayons had taken the stage, ready to perform their flying trapeze act. That's when Babs first saw Dick Grayson.

He was in costume, dressed in all green tights with red and yellow swirls on it. He soared through the air so gracefully it was almost as if he was flying. Babs recalled how she compared him to Peter Pan later that day to her father. To her, Dick Grayson was magical. It was at that moment, that Babs had given her heart to a boy. And ever since that moment she had been clinging to the hope that she would one day see him again.

But Betty did bring up a good point. She had been so obsessed with her feelings for Dick that she wasn't enjoying her own life. Why couldn't she still have hope and yet enjoy herself at the same time? There was nothing standing in her way. And besides, it wasn't like Dick Grayson would just magically appear in her life, he lived in Jump City and was the ward to Bruce Wayne.

"You know what," Babs began. "I'm going to Helena's party."

TT

Dick absently nodded his head to whatever Kitten was saying. He wasn't really paying attention, for he was to occupied with his own thoughts. It had been so long since he had last been in Gotham. Coming back to Gotham stirred a lot of feeling within him, feelings he wished he didn't have. At the moment he wished Kori was here. She would have been able to make him feel better. She had that talent.

Thinking about Kori got him thinking about the goodbye they shared earlier today, before him and Kitten set off to Gotham. Kori hadn't been willing to let of him. Literally. She had given him a hug that lasted almost ten minutes. It probably would have lasted longer had Vic not pulled her off.

"Dick, you are going to love Helena when you meet her," Kitten said. "But don't get too friendly. A simple hello will be just fine."

"Uh-huh."

Dick sort of felt guilty about thinking about Kori while in a car with his girlfriend. Thinking about it now, he probably should have given Kitten at least some of his attention. With this in mind he reached out his free hand and took her hand, giving a gentle squeeze.

Kitten smiled at him and then turned her head towards the window, smirking. Her plan was working. She had Dick away from his pestering friends, meaning he would turn to her. Kitten felt rather smug at the moment and she squeezed his hand back.

Dick stopped the car outside of a house and they stepped out of the car, heading towards the front door. They could hear the music from behind the door.

The door finally opened and they came face to face with an ebony haired girl with purple eyes. By the girls side was a tall boy with black hair and green eyes.

"Kitten!"

"Helena!"

The two girls squealed and embraced each other. They pulled away and grinned at each other.

"Kitten, it is so good to see you again. It has been far too long. This is my boyfriend Q."

"Q as in... what?" Dick inquired. Surely there was more than just one letter to this boy's name.

"Just Q," he replied. "I'm going back inside, baby."

"'Kay," Helena released a dreamy sigh. "Isn't he just a total hunk?"

"Absolutely charming." Dick muttered.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Helena shook Dick's hand. "You're Dick Grayson, Kitten's boyfriend. She has told me so much about you."

"She has?" Dick rose a brow and looked over at Kitten, who currently had a look of innocence on her face.

"Well let me not keep you two waiting any longer," Helena said. "Come on in. The party awaits!"

TT

"How about... that guy." Cassandra pointed out to a random boy leaning against the wall opposite of the one she, Babs and Betty were leaning against. The trio were currently at Helena's party, and Cassandra and Betty were doing their best to try and get Babs to dance with a boy. So far, no such luck.

"I don't think so." Babs replied. She was starting to get annoyed by her pestering friends.

"Well, what about... that one." Betty pointed at a boy who was by the punch bowl.

"Isn't it enough that I came to this party?!" Babs snapped, eyes narrowed.

"No." Betty and Cassandra answered in union.

Babs sighed and rolled her eyes. That's when she caught sight of someone, someone who she hadn't seen in years. Her heart beat increased and her mouth was agape. Her eyes were wide and she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Right there in plain sight was Dick Grayson.

"You guys, it's him," Babs said frantically, pointing. "It's Dick Grayson!"

"Where?" asked Betty, looking around the room with her eyes.

Babs looked around as well, frowning. "He was just there. I saw him. He must have moved to a different room."

"Sure he did, Babs. Sure he did."

Babs frowned. Her friends may not believe her, but she knew what she saw.

"I'm gonna go look for him. If I'm lucky maybe he'll talk to me." Babs said before running off, pushing through the hordes of teenagers. Cassandra and Betty shook their heads.

"That poor delusional girl," Cassandra sighed. "Tsk, tsk."

Betty nodded in agreement.

TT

Kitten frowned as she danced with Dick. A slow song was playing, their bodies were melded together, his hands on her hips and her hands around his neck. Even though she couldn't see his eyes, she knew something was on his mind. What he was thinking about, she wasn't sure, but she was going to find out.

She kissed the crook of his neck, grabbing his attention, she then brushed her lips against his ear. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing." Dick answered dryly.

Kitten pulled away from him, frowning. "I'm not stupid, Dick. Something is up, now tell me what."

Dick sighed. "I was thinking about Kori."

Kitten wanted to scream her lungs out. It was always Kori. Kori this and Kori that. Kitten couldn't stand it. Her hatred for the red head increased tenfold. Kitten wanted nothing more than to kick and scream, but she held her tongue. She couldn't lose her temper around Dick. If she did she was sure to lose him as a boyfriend.

Trying to remain calm, Kitten spoke again. "Why are you thinking about Kori?"

"I don't know," Dick confessed. "She just seemed really upset before we left. Maybe I should call her, to make sure she's okay."

"No!"

Dick rose a brow at Kitten's reaction.

Kitten realized her mishap and tried to redeem herself. "I'm sure Kori is fine. There's no need to worry."

"Yeah... I guess you're right." Dick replied softly.

Kitten sighed in relief. She dodged a bullet there. Her eyes then went wide as she caught sight of someone she knew. "Oh no..."

"You say something, Kitten?"

Kitten looked at Dick and smiled at him. "I, uh, have to go to the bathroom. Why don't you help yourself to some punch. I won't be gone long."

"Okay." Dick said before Kitten quickly took off, pushing her way through the crowd. Dick shrugged and made his way to the punch bowl. Dick poured himself a cup and took a sip. He coughed a bit, the punch having a weird taste to it. He shrugged indifferently and took another sip, walking off.

Dick didn't notice that a girl with red hair was following him.

Meanwhile... Kitten had finally pushed her way through the crowd and had paused, looking around. She sighed in frustration and turned around, ready to go back to Dick. She paused however, as she caught sight of the person she was looking for right behind her.

"Fang," Kitten hissed, eyes narrowed. "Just what the hell are you doing here?"

"I was invited," Fang said coolly, smirking at Kitten. "I take it you're not happy to see me."

"Just stay away from me," Kitten warned. "I'm here with Dick, and he's the jealous type."

"So am I." Fang winked and blew Kitten a kiss.

Kitten shoved him and walked away. She was not going to let the fact that Fang was here ruin her night with Dick. Speaking of Dick, just where was he? Kitten sighed in frustration. Now she had to go and find Dick.

Kitten's search wasn't a long one. She quickly caught sight of Dick who's arms were slung over Helena and Q's shoulders.

"What the hell happened to him?!" Kitten asked, taking Dick's face in her hands. His head rolled to the side. He was unconscious.

"We found him passed out on the sofa," explained Q. "He must have drunken some punch. We just found out that someone spiked it."

"We got rid of the punch but unfortunately Dick had already drunk some." added Helena.

"What are we gonna do with him while he's in this condition?" Kitten asked, feeling just a little bit worried.

"We can leave him in one of the rooms upstairs," answered Helena. "My parents are on vacation so it won't matter if I let you and Dick spend the night."

"That would be so perfect. Thank you, Helena."

Once upstairs, Q and Helena gently set Dick on the bed in one of the guest rooms. They closed the door behind them.

"Are you sure he'll be alright in there by himself?" Kitten asked as she followed Helena and Q down the stairs.

"He'll be fine," Helena assured her friend. "Come and enjoy the party."

Kitten sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine."

She ventured into the crowd with Helena and Q by her side. Not one of them noticed the girl with red hair sneaking up the stairs.

TT

Babs crept up the stairs after seeing Helena ventured down. She had seen Helena, along with two other people, carrying Dick upstairs. Whether he was asleep or not Babs wanted to see him. This was finally her chance, and no slumber was going to ruin that for her.

Once she was upstairs she began to open up doors, poking her head inside the rooms to see if Dick was there. She was on her forth try and had finally found success upon opening up a random door. Inside the room was none other than Dick Grayson.

Babs silently stepped inside and closed the door behind herself. She stepped up to the bed and kneeled down, her eyes never leaving Dick's face. He had grown up so much since his days at the circus.

Babs couldn't believe the position she was in. The boy of her dreams was right in front of her. She couldn't believe her luck. Babs smiled softly and placed a hand on his face. His skin was smooth and warm. Trailing her hand upwards, she tangled her fingers in his hair. His hair was soft, she noted as she ran her finger through his ebony locks. Her eyes fell upon his lips and she stiffened. She wondered, had he been awake and gotten to know her, would he have kissed her.

Probably not Babs thought bitterly. Dick was the ward to Bruce Wayne and a playboy, at least that's what she had heard. He could have any girl he wanted. Then again, life is full of surprises. After all, it had come as a great surprise to her that Dick was at this party.

"It must be fate." Babs decided.

Babs believed this to be fate. She was at the end of her rope, ready to give up on ever seeing Dick again, when he had suddenly appeared. It had to be this, it had to be fate. It was apart of their destiny to meet at this party. Perhaps they were even soul mates.

Babs smiled at the thought of having Dick as her soul mate. She looked at his lips and smirked. Would it hurt if she stole one kiss from him? She decided that it wouldn't and pushed her lips against his.

That's when she was met by a pleasant surprise.

Dick was kissing her back.

He had moved in on the kiss and his hand went behind her head, pulling her more to him. Babs didn't hesitate at all and eagerly kissed him back. This was like a dream come true for her, she was going to enjoy it while it lasted. Babs was enjoying this immensely and was disappointed when they had to pull away for air. When they pulled away she became face to face with Dick, who's eyes were half lidded.

"Kitten?" his voice was groggy. He seemed tired.

Babs frowned. Who the hell was Kitten? She hoped it wasn't a girl. "No. I'm not Kitten."

"Oh...," Dick frowned and sat up a bit, but quickly laid back down when he felt the room spinning. He looked back at the girl besides him. "Kori, is that you?"

Babs frowned once more. Just who the hell was Kori? And what exactly was wrong with Dick. He seemed delusional. "No, I'm not Kori... Do you know where you are?"

"I... uh... no, I don't believe I do."

Babs stood up from the floor and sat down besides him. "Do you know who you are?"

"Of course I do," he muttered, rubbing his eyes in hopes of clearing his vision. It didn't work. "I'm Dick Grayson. Who are you?"

Babs froze and debated on whether or not to tell him her real name. She could risk telling him her real name, but then he might turn on her, seeing as he didn't know her.

"I'm... My name is... Just call me Kitten." Babs decided to go with the first name he had said. She guessed it was probably the name of someone close to him.

Dick, who was too spaced out, had forgotten all about how she had earlier claimed to not be Kitten. "Hey, Kitten... why are we in this room? On top of bed?"

Babs turned red in the face. "That's a good question."

Dick sat up, his head spinning, but he ignored that. He leaned in close and kissed Babs on her neck. "I understand now..."

He kissed her again and pulled her down to the bed with him.

TT

Kitten wasn't quite sure how she got in this situation. After she rejoined the party, Fang had found her and the two began a conversation. One thing lead to another and they had ventured upstairs. And now, she was staring up at the ceiling, naked in bed with Fang besides her, his arm wrapped protectively around her waist. Kitten sighed and pushed her bangs away from her forehead. Thank goodness Dick was knocked out in the other guest room.

TT

Babs couldn't believe the position she was in. Here she was with Dick Grayson, the boy of her dreams, and yet she found the situation to be horribly awkward. At first the situation had been wonderful. Dick had bestowed her with kisses so pleasurable it was amazing. The passion between them had been hot and heavy only a few minutes ago. There was groping, kissing and the removal of clothing. But now the passion was gone, and Dick was sleeping soundly.

Babs sighed as she slipped out of bed to pick up her discarded jeans and shirt, disappointed. She was disappointed because nothing had happened. Something almost did happen, but before the deed could be done Dick has passed out. They were so close to going all the way too, Babs thought bitterly.

But perhaps it was better this way. After all, had she had sex with him, it wouldn't have mattered. He would wake up believing that he had done it with that 'Kitten' girl, whoever she was.

Looking back at the unconscious boy Babs smiled. They may have not gone the whole way, but tonight had been great for her. She had finally kissed Dick Grayson, the boy of her dreams, and that was good enough for her. And besides, perhaps one day they would meet up again and pick up where they left off.

Fully dressed and with a smile on her face, Babs gave Dick one final kiss before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

TT

Dick stirred as he opened his eyes. His head was pounding with a major headache. Sitting up straight he took in the sight around him. He was in a room. A room that he didn't recognize. Looking down at himself he realized that he was almost completely naked, he still had his boxers on.

"What the...?" Dick reached out and took his sunglasses that were resting on the night stand besides the bed. He slipped them on his face as he tried to recall the events of last night. The last thing he remembered was getting some punch. Everything after that was a blank.

Dick turned his head towards the door when he heard it creek open. Kitten poked her head in.

"Dick, finally you're up. Come on, we have to go. So hurry up and get dressed."

The door closed and Dick began to piece together, what he thought were pieces of the puzzle. He was practically naked in bed and had come here with Kitten...

"Is it possible that I slept with her?" Dick asked himself. It sure seemed that way to him. Dick groaned and got up so he could get dressed.

Later... The car ride to Jump City was a quiet one, neither Kitten or Dick were looking at each other or speaking. They each had their own reasons for wanting to avoid the other, but the ice had to be broken. So, Dick made the first move.

"Kitten, about last night--"

"Dick, let's just leave last night behind us," Kitten cut in. She didn't want to talk about that night in fear of Dick finding out what she did with Fang. "I would prefer it if we didn't talk about it."

Dick nodded in agreement. If Kitten wanted that night to remain between them, that was perfectly fine by him.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO Evening Dew, Daniella, BerryDrops, Koriand'r Grayson, jcyz, Ace.04, Hidden Iris, THUGG, cookiesruletheworld, Trimacle, Affinitive, clarkLover1, writing4eva, featherpen13, RavenSis, TerraBB4Eva, xxScriblezxx, ravencheithgirl, Agent of the Divine One AND tennisgal456 FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! I HOPED EVERYONE LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

**TO Daniella, I'M GLAD YOU LIKED THE PART WITH KORI AND GAR. TO clarkLover1, I'M GLAD YOU LIKED THE LAST CHAPTER. THANKS YOU TWO FOR REVIEWING LAST CHAPTER!**

**OKAY, ABOUT THIS CHAPTER. THIS CHAPTER TAKES PLACE DURING Sick Cycle Carousel. THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE NORMAL, AND BY NORMAL I MEAN IT WILL BE BACK TO THE REGULAR TIME PERIOD OF Hanging By A Moment. **

**THIS CHAPTER IS SORT OF LIKE A FLASHBACK. I JUST WANTED TO DO THIS TO CLEAR UP WHAT HAPPENED TO DICK WHEN HE WENT TO GOTHAM IN SOPHOMORE YEAR. I ALSO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLAIN WHY BABS HAS THE FEELINGS SHE DOES FOR DICK.**

**ALSO, HOW ABOUT A ROUND OF APPLAUSE. WE HAVE FINALLY REACHED CHAPTER 30! NOW THIS IS WHEN THE STORY REALLY HEATS UP!**

**NEXT CHAPTER: BABS LOOKS FOR A WEAKNESS IN DICK AND KORI'S RELATIONSHIP.**

**REVIEW**

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	31. Friends and enemies

Like a drill sergeant, Jenn walked in front of her team. Today was cheer practice, and Jenn had a no-nonsense attitude. Her team needed to learn the new routine until it was near perfection. So far, everyone was pulling their own weight, going up and beyond her expectations. All but one. That one was Babs.

Normally Babs had the skills of an acrobat, but lately her skills had been fading. To Jenn, it seemed as if her head was else where. That didn't sit well with Jenn. She liked Babs, she really did, but she had a duty as team captain to fulfill. She couldn't have one of her teammates slacking.

"Come on, Babs, get it together," Jenn shouted, eyes slightly narrowed. "Put some heart into your moves. And kick higher dammit!"

"O-okay." Babs stuttered nervously. She did as she was told and kicked higher, but in doing so she lost her balance and fell into the girl next to her. Both girls tumbled to the ground, ruining the routine.

"Stop, stop," Jenn yelled, groaning in frustration. The cheerleaders immediately did as they were told and stood still. "Everyone, break." Jenn looked at Babs who shrunk under her gaze. "Babs, I--"

"Jenn," one of the freshman cheerleaders raised her hand. "Can you go over the cheer with me again? I'm having a tough time memorizing it."

Jenn sighed and waved the girl over. "Sure thing, Molly."

Jenn went to go sit on the bleachers with Molly and Babs sighed in relief. If that freshman girl hadn't said something, she was sure Jenn would have fired her to a crisp. Babs sighed and sat on the ground. She couldn't help it but to let her mind wander. Her thoughts revolved around Dick, and how she wasn't able to get his attention at all. She didn't know how to get him to like her and it was frustrating.

"Babs?"

Babs looked up and became caught sight of Kori. "Oh, Kori, what's up?"

"I should be asking you that," Kori responded, sitting on the grass besides her. "Is something wrong? You seemed distracted during practice."

"Well... I just face a lot on my mind is all."

"Let me guess," Kori smiled softly. "Boy troubles?"

Babs nodded. "Boys troubles."

"Is it that guy? That one you told me about before," Kori inquired. Babs nodded silently. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened. That's the problem," Babs buried her face in her hands, groaning in frustration. "I do everything I can to get him to notice me and nothing works. He barely knows that I exist."

"Do you think there's a reason to that?"

"Uh, well... He's with this girl...," Babs said softly, smothering the truth. "And this girl, I guess, is okay. Personally I don't think she appreciates him. I know that if he was with me, I would cherish him."

"You know, if you was to give me some names I could better understand the situation...," Kori hinted. Babs had pursed lips when it came to her romance life. She wouldn't release not a single clue to anyone, not even Kori while she used 'the look'. "Come on, is it someone I know?"

"I'm sorry, Kori, but I would prefer not to say anything," Babs couldn't risk Kori finding out the truth. "But I would like your advice. What should I do?"

"I'm not entirely sure, Babs. Sometimes giving it your all just doesn't work. Maybe it's time you... move on."

Babs bit her lip at the words. Move on? How could she possibly move on from Dick? She had been in love with him for as long as she could remember. To move on now just didn't seem possible.

"But I... I don't want to move on." Babs responded, voice wavering.

Kori immediately regretted her words and tried to fix the situation. "But what do I know, huh? I'm just a teenage girl!"

Babs still wore a crestfallen expression on her face.

"Okay, maybe you don't have to move on," Kori said, careful of her words. "But it might take awhile for this guy you like to come around. So, maybe you can expand your options."

Babs rose a brow. "Expand my options? What do you mean?"

"I mean that maybe you should try dating other people."

"Date somebody other than... No," Babs shook her head, disgusted at the idea. "I couldn't."

"One date wouldn't kill you," Kori reasoned. "And if you don't like it, then you don't have to continue."

"Kori--"

"All I ask is that you go on one date. Just one," Kori cut in quickly. "What do you have to lose?"

Babs frowned. "Okay, let's say I do choose to go out with a guy, where am I supposed to find a date?"

Kori smiled. "Just leave that to me."

TT

"Oh come on, Xavier," Kori begged. "Please! It's only one date. How bad could it be?"

Xavier frowned. "It could be extremely bad."

Kori had promised to get Babs a date, and she intended to keep her promise. So, she went to the one person who she thought would be perfect for her, Xavier. Xavier was lonely just like Babs was in Kori's opinion. Plus, since the day she met him, Kori had noticed that Xavier didn't have a girlfriend. In Kori's opinion it was time that he finally got one. To her, Xavier and Babs would be a perfect match.

Unfortunately Xavier didn't feel the same way. Normally Xavier would be willing to do anything for Kori, but he was putting his foot down on this one. He didn't think it would be right to date Babs when he had feelings for Kori.

"But Babs is a great girl," Kori argued. "Why don't you give her a chance? You may like her."

"Cutie, you know I would do anything for you," Xavier replied. "But I don't think this is a good idea."

Kori pouted. "Why not?"

"Because I don't even like Babs."

"But you can learn to like her."

Xavier groaned in frustration. He thought Kori's sweet naivete was cute, but this was just ridiculous. "I know you pretty well cutie, and I know you think this is a good plan but it's not. I know how you think. You want everyone to be happy and have this great romantic relationship, but life does not work that way."

Kori frowned and crossed her arms. "Well if it did things would be a lot simpler."

"Yeah, it's a tough world out there." Xavier said dryly.

Kori sighed and fiddled her fingers. "I guess you're right, Xavier. I just thought you would do this one thing for me..." Kori looked at Xavier using 'the look'.

Xavier stiffened. "That is not fair..."

Kori continued to use 'the look' and Xavier felt himself beginning to crack. He hated the control Kori had over him. It wasn't fair that she had such a grip on him. Damn those big green eyes of her's. Why did she always have to pull out 'the look'.

"Cut the face already, cutie. You're killing me here."

"I don't know what you mean, Xavier." Kori said innocently, still giving him 'the look'.

"Okay, I'll go on the date with Babs," Xavier agreed reluctantly. "But under one condition. You have to come with."

Kori's face brightened and she clapped her hands in excitement. "A double-date! Xavier, that's a great idea!"

"No, wait," Xavier shook his head. He didn't want Dick to come. He hated Dick. "I didn't mean--"

Kori cut him off and wrapped him in a bone crushing hug. "Xavier, you're the best! Thank you so much," Kori pulled away wearing a large smile. "I'm going to go tell Babs and Dick the great new right now."

Kori ran off, practically floating on air in joy. Xavier sighed and slapped a hand to his forehead. "What did I just get myself into?"

TT

Xavier cleared his throat, breaking the silence that had formed between him and Babs. This is how it had been between them since the beginning of the date, awkward. This is exactly what Xavier had wanted to avoid, which is why he had wanted Kori to tag along.

Kori had kept her word and came along, bringing Dick with her. She had even made the plans for the date. First they would have lunch at the pizzeria, and from there they would journey to the carnival at the pier. Then they would end it all with a trip to the movies.

Currently they were at their first stop, the pizzeria. They had entered together, but they didn't sit together. Kori had taken Dick to one of the back booths, leaving Xavier alone with Babs, which was the last thing he had wanted. Kori had done this so they could get to know each other better, but so far the two had done little to none talking.

"So how exactly did Kori rope you into this?" Xavier asked, leaning back in his booth, attempting conversation. The least he could do was try and attempt to do something with Babs. Besides, it was what Kori wanted.

"I don't know," Babs replied absently, trying to see if she could catch sight of Dick and Xavier's shoulder. She was being as discrete as possible. "Kori can be very persuasive."

Xavier chuckled. "Tell me about it."

Babs gave up on trying to catch sight of Dick and looked at Xavier intently. There was a trace of fondness in his voice when he mentioned Kori, Babs had noticed this. Perhaps there was more to Xavier's friendship with Kori than meets the eye. This made Babs curious and she was hungry for answers.

"So you and Kori...," Babs began as nonchalant as possible, playing with the straw to her soda. "You two are pretty close right?"

"I would say so, yes." Xavier answered, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. He didn't want to make a big deal about his relationship with Kori. They were friends only, he had learned that the hard way during sophomore year.

Babs decided to probe deeper to see if she could fish out any useful information. "I think it's great that you two are so close. It must be nice to have that type of relationship with someone."

"Yeah, I guess." Xavier responded, sounding just a bit bitter, and crossing his arms.

Babs caught the bitterness in his voice and decided to use that to find out more information. "Xavier, did I say something wrong? You seem upset."

"No, I'm okay," Xavier replied softly. "I was just reminded of something from my past is all."

"Care to share?"

"Uh... well, sure I guess," Xavier paused before speaking again. "I was just thinking about this girl I know..."

"Say no more. I understand how you feel... so this girl, what happened to her?"

"She found somebody that makes her happy."

"And you just let her go?" Babs asked, shocked. She wouldn't give Dick up without a fight.

"I didn't want to interfere with her happiness, so I stood down."

"But don't you think she would be better off with you?" Babs had a pretty good idea that the girl Xavier was talking about was Kori. If she could convince Xavier to try and win Kori, then maybe the two could join forces to try and break Kori and Dick up.

"I don't know. Perhaps she would, then again perhaps not. Either way, I don't want to become between her and her happiness."

Babs nodded silently. It was clear to her that Xavier wouldn't join her on her conquest to break up Dick and Kori, but perhaps she could use him to her advantage.

TT

"Do you think it's going well between them," Kori asked Dick, her neck arched as she tried to get a better view of the booth Xavier and Babs were at. "It looks as if they aren't talking. Why aren't they talking? They should be talking."

"And you should be focused on something else, like, I don't know," Dick smirked. "Me."

"Dick, I'm sorry, but I need to make sure this date goes well. Babs could really use this, and I think Xavier could use a girlfriend."

Dick frowned and crossed his arms. "Why are we doing this again?"

"Because Xavier and Babs are our friends," Kori reminded him. She smiled. "Finally! They're talking to each other."

"Yippie." Dick cheered sarcastically, rolling his eyes and sounding a lot like Raven. He couldn't help but to be a bit grumpy. Kori's attention was focused on Xavier and Babs, two people he could care less for.

Kori caught his sarcastic remark and rolled her eyes. "Don't be so selfish, Dick. I'm trying to create romance here."

"Well try not to hurt yourself cupid." Dick quipped, smirking.

Kori poked out her tongue. "Keep that up and you'll regret it."

"Oh really," Dick rose a brow. "And what exactly can you do to me?"

"I could pin you to the ground."

"Baby you could pin me anytime."

Kori ignored the comment and looked over to the booth Xavier and Babs were sitting at. She gasped when they stood up. If she didn't act fast they would know she was spying on them. Acting quickly, Kori cupped Dick's face in her hands.

"Kori, what--," Dick was cut off when Kori pushed her lips against his, something Dick didn't mind at all. He eagerly kissed Kori back. "Mmm."

Someone coughed.

Kori and Dick pulled away, Dick pulled away rather reluctantly, and turned their heads to see Xavier and Babs standing by their booth.

"If you two are done... we're ready to move on to the next activity." Xavier said, feeling uncomfortable. He was used to seeing Dick and Kori kiss, but that didn't mean he liked it.

Babs had her eyes set intently on the floor. She couldn't stand the sight of Kori and Dick kissing. She found it to be rather repulsive.

Kori smiled sheepishly, glad that she hadn't been caught. "Sure, let's go."

TT

Kori had to admit, her plan wasn't going exactly as she would have liked. Babs and Xavier just weren't melding together. They barely spoke to each other, or made any contact with each other since the start of the date. It was frustrating to watch.

Currently they were all at the carnival, a place filled with fun and happiness. But it seemed as if Xavier and Bas weren't having any fun at all. Kori needed to figure out what was wrong with them and fast. If not the whole date could go up in flames.

Kori quietly pulled Dick to the side, falling behind Xavier and Babs as they walked ahead. "I don't get it, those two should be holding by now. What's wrong with them?"

Dick sighed. He knew Kori meant well, but it seemed as if her plan was a complete failure. "Kori, maybe it's time you're cut your losses. I don't think Xavier and Babs are into each other."

"No, I can fix this," Kori assured him quickly, determined not to give up. "I just need to find out what's wrong. Can you help me?"

As much as Dick wanted to stay out of Babs and Xavier's romantic issues, he just couldn't say no to Kori. "Sure, I'll help. What do you want me to do?"

"I think we should talk to them separately and see what's wrong. Since I'm closer to Xavier I'll talk with him. You can talk with Babs. Agreed?"

Dick nodded. "Agreed."

"Hey, Xavier," Kori walked up to him and took his hand in her's, giving him a tug. "I want some cotton candy. Can you come with me to get some?"

At first Xavier was shocked that Kori didn't ask Dick, but he agreed to go with her anyway. The two walked off, leaving Babs and Dick alone.

"Babs, how about we find some place to sit down." Dick suggested.

"Sure." Babs smiled, and taking a move from Kori, she took his and in her own, pulling him towards some near by benches.

TT

Kori bumped shoulders with Xavier and smiled at him. "So..."

Xavier rose a brow at her. "So..."

"Are you going to tell me about you and Bas or what?"

Xavier smirked. He had saw this coming when they passed the cotton candy stand. "What do you want to know?"

"For starters, do you like her?"

Xavier paused, thinking of an answer. "She's... alright I guess."

"You guess," Kori paused in their walk, stopping to look at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means what it means, cutie. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Oh no, no, no, no, no," Kori wagged a finger, eyes slightly narrowed. "Don't pull that discrete act with me mister. Now answer the question. Do you, or do you not, like Babs?"

Xavier ran a hand through his hair. "Do I have to be honest?"

"Yes."

"Alright then... No. I do not like Babs."

Kori's hopes of a successful plan wilted before her very eyes. "Why not?"

"She's just not my type."

Kori threw up her hands in frustration. "And what exactly is your type, Xavier?"

Xavier pursed his lips. He wanted so badly to tell her the truth, to tell her how much he adored her, but he held back and reeled himself in. It wouldn't be fair, nor right, to do that to Kori. She was happy with Dick and he didn't want to cause any problems to their relationship.

Xavier paused as he tried to think of a good excuse to tell Kori. "My type... Well, I, uh... I like biker chicks."

Kori rose a brow, looking at Xavier skeptically. "Biker chicks?"

"Yeah," Xavier regretted his answer, but he just took the first thing he could think of. "I dig a girl with a leather jacket who rides a motorcycle."

"Oh... well... okay then," Kori sighed in defeat. "I guess that means you and Babs won't be getting together."

"I guess not."

"Thanks anyway, Xavier," Kori said softly, giving him a hug. "It means a lot to me that you at least tried."

"Anytime, cutie...," Xavier said softly, hugging her back. "But please, no more trying to hook me up with your friends."

Kori smiled against his chest. "No promises."

TT

"So how about it, Babs," Dick began as soon as they sat down. "Do you see yourself dating Xavier in the future?"

Babs frowned and turned away. She was hoping she could use this alone time to connect with Dick, but clearly he had other plans. "I see, you and Kori did this on purpose to question us, right?"

Dick smiled sheepishly. "You caught me red handed. So how about it, do you like Xavier or what?"

"I think he's an okay guy...," Babs turned to Dick. "What do you think about him?"

Dick blinked in surprise. Why would Babs care what he thought of Xavier? "Why do you care what I think?"

"Because I value your opinion," Babs scooted closer to him. "Well... What's your honest opinion about Xavier?"

"To be perfectly honest I think the guy is scum. The only reason why I tolerate him is because he's friends with Kori."

Babs fought not to smirk and twirled a strand of hair around her finger, looking as innocent as possible. "That must be a burden on you... I'm surprised Kori would remain friends with someone you hate."

"I've tried to get her to break ties with him, but Kori doesn't give up so easily when it comes to her friends," Dick chuckled a bit. "That explains why you're on a date right now."

Babs faked a giggle. "Guess so... Dick, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Well... I was just wondering why you hate Xavier so much. Did he do something to you?"

Dick frowned and clenched her fist. "Not exactly. I guess it's just a jealously thing between us. I don't like the fact that he's close with Kori."

"But Kori's really close with Vic, Gar, Wally, Alain and Roy," Babs pointed out. "Why not hate them?"

"Because I know they wouldn't hurt Kori. And I know they wouldn't put the moves on her."

Babs eyes went wide. So her suspicions were right. "Xavier hit on Kori?"

"He did more than that. During sophomore year I saw him kissing her," Dick gritted his teeth at the memory and narrowed his eyes. "The bastard..."

"But he wouldn't do that now, right? After all, you and Kori are dating now."

"I don't know. Xavier's unpredictable," Dick closed his eyes and leaned back against the bench. "Babs, promise you won't tell Kori what we talked about. She thinks Xavier and I are friends now. I don't want her to know that I hate him."

Babs would have liked nothing more than to run to Kori and tell her what Dick had said, but she wouldn't. If she did, Dick might hate her. "I promise."

"Hey guys," Kori greeted as she and Xavier walked over to the bench. "We're back."

Dick smiled and sat up. "Finally!"

Dick ran up to Kori and wrapped her in a hug. Normally Babs would have been bothered by this, but her eyes were focused on Xavier. Secretly, she smirked to herself. She had a plan to split Dick and Kori up, and unbeknownst to him, Xavier was going to help her.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO Trimacle, happyjoyclub, jcyz, Ace.04, clarkLover1, Evening Dew, featherpen14, Affinitive, BerryDrops, Star 4 Robin, writing4eva, TerraBB4Eva, cookiesruletheworld, THUGG, Daniella, Agent of the Divine One, cookiegurl15, tennisgal456, RavenSis, AND ElementalMaster1304 FOR THE GREAT REVIEWS. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! I HOPED YOU ALL ENOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

**TO clarkLover1, I FELT BAD FOR DICK TOO, SORTA. LOL, I JUST LOVE THE DRAMARAMA! **

**TO Daniella, I'M GLAD YOU LIKED THE FACT THAT LAST CHAPTER WAS A FLASHBACK. AND I SHARE YOUR FEELINGS FOR BABS, I DON'T LIKE HER EITHER.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: BABS PUTS HER PLAN INTO ACTION.**

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	32. Seed of doubt

There was something about the way Mr. Mod smiled that put the students in his class on edge. The way his lips would twist into a grin and the glint he got in his eyes was enough to make his students skin crawl in fear. The student body had dubbed Mr. Mod as an evil teacher, so when he smiled it was never good sign.

Mr. Mod leaned against his desk, a check board in hand, his gaze settled on his students. He felt a laugh bubble in his stomach at the looks they had on their faces, but forced it down. "I figured it's time you all do a project," a collective groan spread across the room along with protest. Mr. Mod had seen this coming and chuckled a bit. "Now, now, my duckies. No need to complain. I have a treat for you all. You all get to work in pairs!"

Couples and friends immediately gazed and motioned to each other. Dick set his eyes on Kori, and she him. Babs, who had switched her history class from eighth period to first, looked over at Dick. Terra locked eyes on Gar, who blushed in return. Wally looked over at Jenn who nodded at him, confirming the fact that she wanted to work with him. Toni nudged Alain and he smiled at her.

Roy couldn't help but notice how his friends all turned to each other (the ones who were dating anyways). He couldn't help but feel lonely as he rested his chin in the palm of his hand. It were times like these that he really wished Jade were here. Sure he had his friends, but he missed having Jade's company. She was his everything, the light in his life, without her the world seemed dull.

Mr. Mod smirked at the reaction he got from his students. He felt happy to see them react so jubilantly. It was much more fun raining on their parade this way. "Hold it duckies, there's a catch."

The class froze and only one person dared to speak.

"Catch," Dick repeated, eyebrow raised in curiosity. He didn't like the sound of that. _Catch_ plus _Mr. Mod_ could only equal trouble. "What do you mean by that? What's the catch?"

"Well I'm glad you asked my boy," Mr. Mod replied gleefully, his smile ever widening as he wagged his check board for all to see. "You all will be working in pairs, but I'll be picking who works with who."

"What?"

"No fair!"

"Aw, c'mon!"

This, along with much more protest, floated across the room. Mr. Mod's eyebrow twitched in annoyance and he gritted his teeth. He hated to hear children whine so much. "Alright, that's enough!"

The class immediately fell silent and scowls adorned many faces while many arms were crossed.

"Now, let's move on, shall we," Mr. Mod raised his check board to eye level. "First we have Jenn and Kitten--"

"NO!" said girls cried in union. Upon realizing they said the same thing at the same time, the two girls glared at each other.

"I can not work with that girl." Jenn said, eyes narrowed.

"And I refuse to work with trash." Kitten said, crossing her arms.

"Who are you calling trash, you plastic bimbo!"

"Enough," snapped Mr. Mod. "If you two keep arguing, you won't know what your topic is." Once he said this both girls zipped their lips. "Jenn and Kitten, your topic is the working conditions of early America... Try not to kill each other."

"No promises." Kitten muttered darkly under her breath, leaning back in her seat.

"Next pair is Alain and... Wally. You will do a project on World War two."

Alain and Wally high fived each other, glad that they would be working together.

"Next is Roy and Elliot. You'll be covering the Civil War."

Roy slapped his forehead, mumbling under his breath. "Of course... I get stuck with the weird geek."

"Toni, Karen and Vic," announced Mr. Mod. "I want you three to cover women's rights."

Karen and Toni grinned at each other, glad to have been given that topic. Vic looked a little uneasy as he spared a short glance towards Karen. He didn't know if working with his ex-girlfriend was a good idea.

Mr. Mod continued to assign pairs and groups as well as topic assignments. Currently he had only a handful of students left. "The next topic is the Great Depression. Raven, Terra and Gar, you three will be working together."

"Yes!" Gar smiled at Terra, who smiled back. Terra then turned her gaze towards Raven, only to see the purple haired girl glaring back at her.

Mr. Mod moved on and eventually landed on four students. He grinned maliciously. "Ah, the final four... Now, how should I pair you all up?"

Dick glanced nervously at Kori. Needless to say, he wanted to be paired with Kori. His fingers had been crossed the entire time in hopes that Kori wouldn't get paired with someone that wasn't him. Dick glanced over his shoulders and narrowed his eyes at Xavier. Other than himself and Kori, Xavier and Babs were the only ones left.

"Well, let's see," Mr. Mod tapped his chin, enjoying the power he held over his students. "Kori... you can be paired with..." Mr. Mod pointed at Dick and saw the boy's face light up with relief and joy. He then smirked and pointed at someone else. "Xavier."

Dick's heart skipped a beat and he froze in his seat. His mind began to process the fact that Xavier and Kori would be working together. To Dick, it seemed as if fate had a personal vendetta against him.

"You two will work on the first thirteen colonies," Mr. Mod then turned his attention towards the remaining students. "Babs and Dick, your topic is civil rights."

Babs smiled to herself, pleased that luck was on her side today. Dick, however, wasn't pleased with this turn of events and had buried his face in his arms. He thought for sure Kori would be his partner. Turning his head, Dick caught sight of Xavier smirking. Dick narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth, his fist clenching.

He hated history class _so _much right now.

TT

Kori had decided to meet Xavier after school at the pizzeria. Kori was an excellent student, and she had full intentions of remaining an excellent student, so she wanted to get to work on this project as soon as possible. Besides, the sooner she and Xavier got this done the better. Kori liked spending time with Xavier, but she knew Dick was the jealous type.

"Cheer practice is only a few days out the week," Kori explained as she and Xavier tried to make a schedule for when to work on the project. "So we can work weekdays or weekends. Your choice."

"I'm busy a lot during the weekdays, so weekends would be cool," Xavier answered simply. He really didn't care much about this project, but he wouldn't slack off, he knew how much of an importance school was to Kori. "Just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

Kori smiled slightly. "So... you don't mind if I make the big decisions and what-not?"

"Not at all," Xavier replied coolly. "I trust you."

"Good, because I think we should divide the work up evenly and really commit to making our project the best."

"That sounds reasonable."

"I'm glad you agree," Kori said, grinning. "Because I don't think we can afford any distractions."

"Mmm-hmm." Xavier nodded in agreement.

"Which means you should have your cell phone off while we're working."

"Yea-Wait, what," Xavier spluttered, losing his cool. He gawked at Kori. "What do you mean my cell phone has to be off?"

"Every time your phone rings you run like a puppy," Kori accused. "I respect the fact that you have stuff to do, whatever that may be, but it gets frustrating when someone calls you and you suddenly disappear. We have to pass this project, so when we're working your phone stays off."

"But that's not fair," Xavier protested. He loved Kori, but he loved his phone just as much. That was his business phone. "C'mon, cutie--"

"Don't cutie me. You said I could be in charge. Well I'm laying down the law, and it requires that your phone stay off."

Xavier crossed his arms. He wasn't going to turn his phone off without getting something in return. "Okay then. But I have a little issue I want to bring to the table."

"What is it?"

"Your boyfriend."

Kori blinked in surprise. "What about Dick?"

"To be blunt, he's an obsessive, overly jealous, midget."

"That is not true," Kori countered. "Dick has gotten very tall since freshman year and is hardly a midget."

"Don't beat around the bush, cutie. You and I both know Dick is not happy about the current situation."

Kori bite her lip. Xavier had a point. Even though the two were friends there was still a sort of rivalry between them.

"I would be willing to bet that's he's gonna call you non-stop when we get together to work on this project," Xavier continued. "If my phone goes off, yours should too. It's only fair."

Kori paused to herself, thinking things over. She didn't see the harm in following through with Xavier's request, after all it was only fair. Besides, it would only be off while they were working together, and that would only be for a few hours during the weekend.

After concluding everything in her head, Kori nodded. "Okay, deal. When we work the phones go off."

Xavier extended his hand for Kori to shake. "Deal."

Kori smiled and shook his hand. She then began to gather her things. "Great. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get home. My parents want me to babysit while they, uh, go out."

Xavier stood up. "I'll drive you home."

"You don't have to."

"I want to," Xavier replied with a smile, opening the door for Kori. She stepped outside and shivered when the cold air hit her bare arms. "Cold?"

Kori rubbed her arms. "Yeah."

"Serves you right for wearing short sleeves, cutie," Xavier playfully scolded, removing his black leather jacket and handing it to her. "Take my jacket."

"You sure?"

Xavier nodded and helped her slip the jacket on. "I'm sure. Besides, you need it more."

"I don't usually get cold so easily." Kori said as she followed Xavier to his bike.

"Yeah, well, there's a first time for everything."

TT

Roy opened the door to his home and stepped inside, Elliot trailing closely behind. Elliot had insisted that they get a head start on their project so Roy had reluctantly invited him over.

Stepping into the foyer, Roy called out for his girlfriend. "Jade! I'm home... and I brought food!"

At the mention of food the sound of someone rushing down the stairs was heard. It wasn't long until Roy and Elliot were graced with Jade's presence.

"Roy, what you g--..." Jade let her sentence die at the sight of Elliot standing next to Roy. She was shocked to see Elliot of all people.

"Ah, goddess," Elliot smiled timidly. "Or should I say goddess mother, seeing as you are with child... You look lovely."

"Uh, thanks," Jade clutched Roy's arm and pulled him to the side, speaking in a hushed whisper. "What the hell is that nerd doing here?"

"He insisted that he come over," Roy answered, his voice a whisper as well. "Mr. Mod is making us do a lame project and he gave us all partners."

"You couldn't take him somewhere else?"

"I promised to bring you a burger and fries, remember," Roy reminded, flashing the bag he had in his hands. "What's the big fuss anyway?"

"I don't know... it's just weird being around another teenager besides you or our friends looking like _this_," Jade said, motioning to her large belly. She sighed and took the bag of food from him. "I'll be in the kitchen."

Roy watched Jade go, feeling guilty. He should have known that Jade would have felt insecure being around someone from school while pregnant, it was a small part of her reason for dropping out. He sighed and turned towards Elliot. "C'mon, we can work in the living room."

"Um... did I... Did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's just...," Roy sighed in frustration. "It's just complicated okay. Now can we please just get this over with."

"Right, sorry." Elliot apologized quickly.

"No... I'm sorry," Roy said. "I shouldn't have snapped... I've just got a lot on my plate right now."

"But you're Roy Harper," Elliot pointed out, sitting across from Roy in the living room. "You are the ward to Oliver Queen, you have continuous popularity and a girlfriend who's--"

"Pregnant and emotional."

"At least you have a girlfriend. I'm still waiting to get French-kissed!"

Roy swallowed a laugh. "That's... that's pretty pathetic dude."

Elliot's face flushed in embarrassment. "... Despite your current situation with the goddess mother, I truly do envy you."

Roy rose a brow. "Why's that?"

"Do you even have to ask, Stonecold," Roy frowned at the nickname but Elliot ignored it. "You have an incredible girlfriend who's beauty is unmeasurable. You have someone to love you, and someone you can turn to when in distress... Meanwhile I have nothing."

Roy grinned slightly as an idea came to him. "Hey, Elliot, how about we make a deal?"

A perplexed expression came to Elliot's face as he briefly wondered what Roy could be up to. "What kind of deal?"

"If you complete the project by yourself, and let me mooch on the credit, I'll help you get a girlfriend. What do you say, sounds good?"

Elliot's eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. He wasn't too sure if he could trust Roy or not. Plus, after getting in that big mess of a deal with Kitten, he wasn't too sure taking up a deal with Roy was such a good idea or not. "If I do this... you'll really help me?"

"Trust me, I'm an expert with women," Roy smirked. "You can trust me on this."

"Well... what do I have to lose," Elliot smiled a bit. "What the hell, I'm in! I look forward to being your apprentice, Stonecold."

Roy cringed at the nickname. "Okay, dude, for the last time call me Roy."

TT

"I can't believe I got paired with Kitten," Jenn complained to Raven, flipping through the pages of a book she picked up from the shelf. "Of all the people I get with the wicked witch of the west."

"It could be worse." Raven drawled, scanning over the vow of books. Her and Jenn had decided to get a head start on things and came to the library to do so. Since the library was practically empty they spoke freely.

"How could it be worse?" Jenn questioned, hands on her hips as she stared at Raven, waiting for an answer.

"I'm sorry, did you take me seriously," Raven responded in her regular monotone. "That was a little white lie to make you feel better."

"Okay, you seem just a tad bit more bitchy today. I'll bite, what's wrong?"

"I'm paired with Gar and Terra."

Jenn failed to see the problem. "So?"

"So," Raven turned to her. "I'm paired with _Gar_ and _Terra_. Short for two idiots who do nothing but make goo-goo eyes at each other. I'll probably be stuck doing all the work in the end."

"For some reason I don't think that's what's bothering you. There's something else isn't there?"

Raven sighed in frustration and took a spot on the floor, leaning against the book shelf. "I don't trust Terra."

"Why not?" Jenn thought Terra was a cool girl.

"There's something about her that I can't put my finger on. I mean, don't you think it's weird that she took a liking to Gar so fast? This is Gar we're talking about. No girl swoons over him that fast."

Jenn smirked. "Why, Raven, I do believe your skin is turning green."

Raven narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh don't play dumb. You know exactly what I mean," Jenn pointed an accusing finger. "You're jealous."

"I am _not_ jealous." Raven muttered darkly.

"Clear case of denial. Yupe, you're jealous."

Raven rose from her spot on the floor, glaring at her companion. "Dammit, I am not jealous!"

"Okay," Jenn held her hands up in defense. "No need to chew my head off."

Raven huffed and turned away after rising from her seat. "I need to use the restroom."

Raven stalked away and Jenn couldn't stop the smirk that spread across her lips. "She's jealous."

TT

Babs stepped into Wayne Manor and a overwhelming feeling of excitement spread across her entire body. She couldn't believe she was in Wayne Manor, Dick's home. Dick lived _here_. This was an honor as well as an exciting experience for her.

"Are you hungry or anything," Dick asked as he removed his jacket. "I can have Alfred prepare you something if you like."

"No, I'm fine," Babs answered, a smile on her face. "Wow, I can't believe in Wayne Manor!"

"Oh, so you're a fan of Bruce?" Dick inquired.

"Uh...," Babs blushed. Granted she did think of Bruce Wayne he wasn't the reason why she was so hyped up. But it did make for a good cover up. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"I'll have to introduce you two some time," Dick said as he made his way up the stairs. "Come on, we can work in my room."

"Your room?" Babs spluttered, eyes going wide. Today must have been her lucky day.

"We don't have to if it makes you uncomfortable. We can always go to the living room or kitchen."

"No, no, your room is fine," Babs said, trying not to sound to eager. "I was just... concerned. I wouldn't want Kori to think any ill thoughts."

Dick paused outside his bedroom door, turning to face Babs with a raised brow. "Why would she?"

"I'm not trying to imply anything," Babs answered, putting part one of her plan into action. "It's just that not many girls would like it if her boyfriend brought a girl to his room."

"That's a problem for other couples, but not Kori and I. Kori trust me," Dick opened the door to his room. "Come on in."

Babs did as she was told and stepped into Dick's room, her feet immediately coming into contact with a floor covered by an ivory carpet. To the left of Dick's room was his bed covered with red sheets. Babs felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she recalled her night in Gotham with Dick, the night where they almost...

Just thinking about the memory made Babs shiver.

Looking around and wandering deeper into his room, Babs caught sight of Dick's bookshelf. On it was an array of photos in frames of different sizes. Stepping closer to the bookshelf Babs saw a picture of Dick with his parents. They were in their Flying Graysons' costumes.

Babs smiled. When she was younger she saw the Flying Graysons' perform. That's when she had first saw Dick. It was a fond memory for her. However, the smile she wore was wiped clean off her face when her eyes caught sight of the next picture. It was a picture of Dick and Kori. Dick had Kori in his arms bridal style and a rose was in her hand. Babs glared at the picture, restraining herself from throwing it out the window.

"Babs?"

"Huh," Babs stopped glaring at the picture and whipped around to face Dick. "Did you say something?"

"I asked if you were okay. You seemed out of it."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just looking at this picture of you and Kori. It got me thinking..."

"About what?"

"Well... it's just... never mind. It's none of my business."

"What is it, Babs?"

Babs turned so her back faced Dick and smirked. Dick was playing right into her plan. "It's just your relationship with Kori... You say she trust you, but I'm not so sure you should trust her."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dick asked, sounding indignant.

"Please don't get mad," Babs pleaded, turning to face Dick with doe eyes. "It's just that I've been under the impression that Kori and Xavier are more than just friends."

Dick's eyes narrowed, but he didn't want to dismiss Babs yet. He wanted to hear what she had to say.

Seeing as how he hadn't thrown her out or yelled at her, Babs took this as a sign to continue. "I may be reading this the wrong way, but have you ever noticed how close Kori and Xavier are? And today at school, didn't the two of them seem a little eager to start on their project?"

Dick sat on his bed, his gaze lowered. He did recall at lunch how Kori pulled Xavier to the side to request they meet after school.

"You know what, I'm sorry I even brought it up," Babs had planted the seed of doubt, now all she had to do was play the innocence card. "It's probably nothing. Kori loves you, she would never go for Xavier. And it's not like Xavier would make a move on Kori. Just forget I said anything."

Dick frowned. Sure he trusted Kori, but Xavier was a completely different story. Dick clenched his fist as a thought just occurred to him. Since Xavier and Kori were partners, that most likely meant that they would be spending a lot more time together. _Alone_ time together. With the two of them alone together who knows what could happen, Dick thought nervously.

A seed of doubt had been planted and it had already sprouted a feeling of worry through Dick.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO Koriand'r Grayson, BerryDrops, Ace.04, featherpen13, raeXXstarry, RobinxStarfireLuvr, Trimacle, jcyz, clarkLover1, cookiesruletheworld, StarReader86, Keirii, writing4eva, ravencherithgirl, Daniella, TerraBB4Eva, cookiegurl15, RavenSis, BeastgirlRaven, tennisgal456, superanimated AND bluez FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT AND POSITIVE COMMENTS. I HOPED YOU ALL LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

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**NEXT CHAPTER: A MOMENT THAT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR, DICK VS XAVIER.**

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	33. Love is a battlefield

_Dick's eyes lit up at the sight of his lovely bride walking down the isle. A smile formed on his lips as he observed how beautiful she looked. She wore a white gown that hugged her upper body and spread out once it reached her hips. A long veil hit the floor and trailed behind her. Her steps were small and graceful, and Dick could feel his heart beat increase to a rapid pace as she neared him._

_Finally, his bride stepped up to the alter, her large green eyes looked up at him and she smiled._

_"Oh, Kori," Dick spoke softly, taking her hand in his and giving her hand a firm squeeze. "I've waited so long for this day."_

_Her eyes looked up at him and a smile came to her face. "So have I."_

_They turned and faced the priest. He was a large man, his head was balding and he was dressed in a white and gold robe._

_The priest smiled a warm smile and gazed at the crowd before himself. "Dear family and friends, out of affection for Kori and Dick, we have gathered here today to witness and bless their love which will unite them in holy matrimony," the priest paused and continued. "If anyone has any objections to this union, please speak now or forever hold--"_

_A roar of an engine cut the priest's words off and the doors to the church magically opened by themselves. A fog crawled and rolled against the floor and a blinding light shone the aisle. A black motorcycle cut its way through the fog and light, rolling its way up to the alter where it came to an abrupt halt._

_The guest immediately began to murmur amongst themselves. _

_"Just who the hell do you think you are barging in and interrupting my wedding?!" Dick snapped, glaring at the intruder._

_The intruder, who's white shirt was unbuttoned, exposing his tone and bare chest, got off of his motorcycle. His hands reached for his helmet and he slowly took it off. Once the helmet was removed, it was tossed to the floor._

_Everyone gasped as the intruder revealed his face._

_Kori took a step towards him, a look of disbelief mixed with happiness on her face. "Xavier..."_

_Dick narrowed his eyes. So far, his wedding day was not going well. "What the hell... Xavier! What are you doing here?"_

_"I've come to stop this abomination," Xavier announced gallantly, hair blowing in a breeze that just so happened to arrive. He looked at Kori lovingly. "Kori, you can't marry Dick... because I... because I love you!"_

_Another gasp filled the church and Kori became shell shocked._

_"You," Dick pointed a finger at Xavier, his eyes filled with hatred. "Son of a bit--"_

_The priest coughed, cutting the rest of Dick's sentence off._

_"Kori, please don't marry Dick," pleaded Xavier, stepping closer to her. "I love you. I always have."_

_Dick scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh please. Newsflash, Xavier, Kori's in love with me. And she's marrying me," Dick crossed his arms in confidence. "Right, Kori?"_

_There was no response and the entire church went quiet, the guest leaning in their seats waiting for the bride's answer._

_"Kori? Kori... tell him," Dick turned to Kori, eyes filled with worry. "Tell him that you love me and want to marry me."_

_Kori bit her lip and stepped away from Dick's side. She stood next to Xavier and took his hands in her own. "I'm sorry, Dick... but I can't marry you. I'm in love with Xavier."_

_Another gasp echoed around the church and Dick glared at the crowd. "Shut up!"_

_"Come, Kori," cooed Xavier, clutching her hands tightly. "Let us ride into the sunset together."_

_"Oh, Xavier..." Kori wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. The guest stood from their seats and gave a standing ovation._

_"What, no... No," Dick shouted angrily. "Stop! Stop clapping! Stop clapping, all of you!" Dick glared once more. "And get off of my bride!"_

_Xavier and Kori paid Dick no heed and continued to kiss before his very eyes._

_The priest then stepped forward. "I now pronounce Kori and Xavier as husband and wife!"_

_Dick pulled at his hair, falling to his knees in agony. "NOOO!"_

With a jolt, Dick woke up with a startled expression on his face, his breathing irregular. He lifted up a shaky hand to wipe his forehead and push his hair back. He blinked in surprise when he finally realized that he fell asleep at his desk, above his science text book. Lifting up the book, Dick couldn't help but to glare at it, as if the book itself was the reason for his bad dream.

"Seriously," Dick spoke to the inanimate object before tossing it to the floor. "Why do I always get a bad dream when I fall asleep on that textbook?"

Dick sighed and rested his chin on the palm of his hand. His eyes met with a picture of Kori he had on his desk. He took the photo in his hands, staring at it with much intensity.

Trust had never been much of an issue between Dick and Kori. The two had always been able to share and keep secrets with each other, ever since they were little. Dick was Kori's confidant, and she was his. The trust they had in each other was strong and had never come into question.

Except for now.

Dick never approved of the relationship Kori and Xavier shared with each other. Had it been Dick's choice, Xavier would have been gone from Kori's life a long time ago. The problem Dick had with their friendship consisted of his dislike for Xavier. He never trusted Xavier. Despite what he was told, he knew Xavier had deeper feelings for Kori.

Even though his suspicion was never proved true, Dick was wary of Xavier still. He didn't trust him as far as he could throw him. That's why, whenever he was around him, Dick would make sure to observe Xavier carefully. But now, after mulling everything over, Dick believed he should have kept a closer eye on Kori as well.

Her friendship with Xavier could have been some cover up to get closer to him. For all Dick knew, she could have tried to get Xavier with Babs as a cover up as well.

There was just so many possible scenarios. All of this negative thinking made Dick's head want to explode.

"Ugh, what is happening to me," Dick questioned out loud, leaning back in his chair, his eyes glazing up at the ceiling. It wasn't like him to doubt Kori. He turned his head towards the picture in his hand before returning it to his desk. Perhaps he was over thinking everything... After all, it wouldn't be the first time he had gotten the wrong impression. Dick grabbed his cell phone and dialed Kori's number. Maybe if he was to talk to Kori he would feel better. "Come on, pick up."

Dick drummed his fingers along his desk, feeling impatient.

After a short wait he finally heard Kori's voice. "_Hello?_"

"Hey beautiful," Dick couldn't help but smile at the sound of her voice. "What's up?"

He heard her yawn. "_Dick... are you crazy? It's late."_

_"_Sorry. I couldn't sleep."

"_Did you have a bad dream?"_

Dick cringed as he recalled his nightmare. "... Yeah. A _really_ bad dream."

Kori giggled. _"Did you fall asleep on your science text book again?"_

"I swear, it's like that book has a personal vendetta against me," Dick shouted. "So... what you doing?"

"_Well, I was sleeping."_

"Oh, sorry I woke you up."

"_It's okay...," _Kori paused. "_Uh, well, I guess I'll just go back to sleep then_."

"No, no, no, wait," Dick shouted. "Don't hang up yet!"

Kori released a sigh. "_Dick, I'm tired... I'm a morning person, not a bat like you."_

"Let me just ask you one question. Then I promise you can go back to your beauty rest."

_"It's not going to be some perverted question, is it?"_

"No." Dick replied, though he wouldn't mind asking what she was wearing right now. Dick could just picture Kori in a night gown, a _very_ short and flimsy night gown...

"_Okay, what's your question?"_ Kori asked, breaking Dick away from his fantasy world.

"I wanted to know if you were busy tomorrow. I thought that maybe we could spend some quality time together."

_"Dick, I would love too... but I can't. I promised Xavier that we would work on our project tomorrow."_

Dick felt as if had been punched in the gut. "Oh... okay then. Maybe next time."

_"Thank you for being os understanding, Dick. I promise to make it up to you."_

Dick clutched his cell phone. "Right... Night, Kori."

_"Goodnight. I love you."_

"Love you too." Dick clicked the phone shut and held back the urge to throw it out the window.

TT

Gar sat in the middle of Terra and Raven, a smug smile on his face. Here he was, with two very attractive girls on either side of him, alone. Normally a situation like this was only for guys like Roy and Dick, but not this time. This precious moment was all his to enjoy. Granted, Raven was only a friend with no interest in him, and him and Terra were still in the early stage of their relationship, this was still a moment Gar could smile upon.

At least it was until Rita came down to the basement, a tray in hand.

"Gar, Terra, Raven," she called out as she came further down the stairs. "I brought you all some lunch."

"Aw sweet." a smile came to Terra's face at the mention of food. So far, her, Raven and Gar had been working nonstop. A lunch break would do some good for all of them.

"Rita, that wasn't necessary," Gar said, cheeks coloring in embarrassment. Rita bringing him and his friends snacks reminded him of when he was younger. "Really."

"I know, and I'm sorry for interrupting," said Rita as she set the tray on the table. "But I figured you kids could have a little treat. Raven. I brought tea for you."

"Thank you, Rita." Raven said kindly, taking the cup Rita handed to her.

"And Terra, I know how much you love pie, so I brought some from the bakery just for you."

"You're the best, Rita!" Terra smiled broadly and licked her lips when Rita handed her a slice of pie.

"And, Gar, don't think I forgot about you. I have chocolate chip cookies for you."

"Thanks...," Gar picked up a cookie and gazed at it curiously. He then tossed it back on the tray and looked up at Rita. "Rita, can we talk for a minute? Upstairs."

"Of course, Gar."

The two traveled upstairs, Terra's eyes following them. Terra flicked her eyes to the girl next to her. "What was that about?"

"You're his girlfriend, shouldn't you know?"

Terra narrowed her eyes.

Meanwhile... Gar crossed his arms, looking at Rita intensely.

Rita rose a brow. "What?"

"What? What do you mean 'what'? Rita, you totally just embarrassed me just now."

"And how exactly did I do that?"

"You showed up with milk and cookies," Gar replied. "I'm not a kid anymore. I don't need you bringing snacks for me and my friends."

"Oh please, Raven and Terra didn't seem to mind." Rita pointed out.

"Yeah... well, you broke your promise. You and Steve promised that I could have the basement--"

"And we gave you the basement."

"But you're not supposed to come down there," Gar whined, stooping his foot childishly. "I can't bring my friends to my room because its usually a mess. And I can't bring them to the living room because you and Steve are always walking by. The basement is supposed to be adult free!"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," Rita raised her hands as a sign of surrender. "It won't happen again."

"Thank you," Gar smirked. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have two lovely ladies waiting for me."

Rita sighed, shaking her head. "Teenagers..."

"Rita!"

Rita turned her head to the side and saw Gar looking back at her. He smiled before heading down the stairs. "Thanks."

Even though he was embarrassed by Rita's gesture, Gar couldn't walk away without saying thank you. After all, Rita had his best interest in mind when she brought down the snacks. Plus, she brought cookies and pie. How could he stay mad when he had cookies and pie? Unfortunately, Terra and Raven didn't share the same views as he did. Upon arriving in the basement, Gar stumbled in on Terra and Raven arguing.

"So, what, my opinion doesn't matter at all?" Terra shouted angrily, hands clenching into fist as she glared at Raven.

"I never said that," Raven snapped, her stance and appearance the same as Terra's. "But if we want to do things right, we have to be creative!"

"We're teenagers, doing things quick and easy is what we do! Not everyone can be as high class as you are!"

"Well excuse me for having a love for the arts instead of playing with dirt!"

"Whoa, whoa, girls," Gar decided he best intervene before Terra and Raven tore each other to shreds. "If you two are gonna fight, I need time to sell tickets." Gar always thought it best to break the ice with a joke. Apparently, telling a joke wasn't a wise choice for this situation. Both Terra and Raven stopped glaring at each other and glared at him instead. Gar shifted uncomfortably under their intense glares. "Sorry," he squeaked out nervously."I just wanted to get your attention... So, uh, what I'd miss?"

Terra crossed her arms. "Raven and I were discussing the project."

Gar rose a brow. The word 'discussing' seemed like a major understatement. What he walked into was a battle royal.

"We were trying to figure out how to go about the project," explained Raven. She narrowed her eyes at Terra and jabbed her thumb in the blonde's direction. "Terra thinks we should do a power point presentation. I think we should create models."

"Creating models would be too much work. We're trying to get an A," said Terra. "Not become teacher's pets. A power point is easy and is something we can all do."

"It's also boring and predictable," Raven commented. "If we bring some originality to the table we might score in some extra points from Mr. Mod."

"You know what, it's obvious we aren't going to come to an agreement."

"Clearly."

Terra ignored Raven and continued. "So, since there's three of us, Gar can be the tie breaker."

"Won't he be a biased character?"

"Not a chance. Gar has been your friend for years. Just because he's my boyfriend doesn't mean he'll automatically pick me. The scale is even between us."

"Fine then," Raven turned her eyes towards the green haired boy. "Gar, who's idea do you like more, mines or Terra's?"

Gar cast a nervous glance between Terra and Raven. Pick one and he risked upsetting the other. How was he supposed to pick? Gar sighed deeply, hands clutching at his head as the two girls waited for him to come to a decision. "Aw crap..."

TT

Dick drummed his fingers along his desk, cell phone in hand. Currently this was his fourth call to Kori since he started to work on his project. He started to work on his project twenty minutes ago. Dick clicked his phone shut and clutched it in his hands. Why wasn't Kori picking up her phone? He knew she was working on her project, but that didn't mean she couldn't pick up her phone. Maybe if he tried again...

"Dick," Babs called out softly from the other side of the room. "We can always work on the project some other time."

Dick turned his head towards Babs. Not only did he not hear a word she said, but he also had forgotten that she was there. "I'm sorry, but could you repeat that? I wasn't listening."

Babs ignored his statement, no matter how much it insulted her. "I said we could work on the project some other time. Clearly you have a lot on your mind today."

Babs had a point there. Dick did have a lot on his mind today. His thoughts were focused on a particular red head who had yet to respond to his calls. "Okay then, some other time."

Babs frowned, she hadn't expected Dick to blow her off so easily. Perhaps her plan wasn't as full proof as she had predicted. That, or she miscalculated. Either way, her plan wasn't going as she liked. Instead of Dick swooning over to her, his thoughts were still consumed with Kori. Babs sighed, perhaps she was out of her league.

"Uh... should I call you, or...?" Babs trailed off, noticing Dick wasn't paying any attention to her. She slouched her shoulders, a look of disappointment evident on her face. Silently, Babs opened and walked out of the door, making sure to close it behind herself.

Dick, who didn't even notice Babs absence, gritted his teeth in frustration. No matter how much he tried, he still got no response from Kori. A sick feeling began to twist and turn his stomach into knots as the worst came to mind. The thought of Kori with Xavier was ghastly.

Catching sight of the picture he kept of Kori on his desk, Dick felt the knot loosen.

He had to keep faith. He couldn't lose his trust in Kori. Had the situation been reverse, Dick was sure Kori would believe in him. Besides, Kori loved him, there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

But, just in case...

Dick grabbed his phone and dialed Kori's number once more.

TT

With two cans of soda in hand, Kori made her way to the living room. Sitting at the couch was Xavier, his hands typing away at the keyboard to the laptop her parents got her for Christmas. He paused momentarily to gaze at the screen. He then grabbed a notepad and jolted some notes down.

Kori sat down on the couch besides him and handed him a can of soda. Her eyes looked over at the screen and a smile came to her face. "Well partner, how are we doing so far?"

Xavier smirked. "So far we've gotten all the essential information on five of the colonies. Eight more and we'll be ready to start our report."

"I'm surprised we managed to get so much done in one day," Kori smirked. "See, this is what happens when we block out distractions."

Xavier took a sip of his drink and released a sigh. "Okay... I admit it. You were right. Happy?"

"Very," Kori leaned back and put her feet on the table. "But you know what would make me even more happy?"

Xavier mimicked her actions and leaned back as well. "What?"

"I need a favor. Nothing major," Kori assured him quickly. She put her thumb about an inch away from her forefinger. "Just something really small."

"Seriously? That's funny. I sort of need a favor myself," Xavier turned his head towards Kori. "You go first."

"Okay, I figured since we've gotten so far in one day, that maybe we don't have to meet tomorrow. Dick called me during the night and he wanted to make a date, but I said no since we had to work on the project. I was hoping I could make it up to him tomorrow."

"No way, I was going to suggest that we cancel our meeting for tomorrow too. I got this thing that I have to do with Billy, it's pretty important."

Kori thanked her lucky stars for her stroke of luck. Since Xavier had things to do as well, there would be no complications. "So then I guess that's it. Tomorrow we take the day off."

"And next Saturday we'll pick off where we left off."

"Perfect," Kori smiled and tapped her can of soda against Xavier's, she then resumed drinking her soda. Not long after she did that, she heard the front door open and close. The booming voice of her father called out and she responded. "I'm in the living room dad!"

Myan Anders walked into the living room with a smile on his face, but upon seeing Xavier sitting on the couch he paid for, with an arm around his daughter, he frowned. "Kori... I didn't know you had invited company," his eyes narrowed a bit at Xavier. "Where's your mother?"

"Oh, she took Ryan with her to the grocery store."

Myan nodded his head in understanding. He then flicked his gaze over to the young man next to his daughter and glared.

An awkward silence filled the room.

"Well... Since we're done here I'll just get going," Xavier said, standing up. He could tell that Myan was trying to bum a hole through his back. Ever since that dinner party fiasco sophomore year Myan had never approved of Xavier, and Xavier was very much aware of the dislike the older man held for him. "See you later, cut-..." Xavier paused and eyed Myan. He figured it would be wise not to use the nickname he bestowed upon the lovely red headed girl. "Kori."

"Bye, Xavier."

Xavier made his way towards the door quickly. Once he was gone, Myan looked at Kori with a worried expression. "What was that delinquent doing here?"

Kori rolled her eyes. "He's not a delinquent. And we were just working on our project, no big deal."

"I don't like that boy..."

"That's what you said about Dick when you first met him, and now look at you, you think he's a polished good boy."

Myan frowned and turned to leave the living room. "I'll be in the kitchen."

Kori giggled quietly to herself, knowing she had won that tangle with her father. Kori began to gather her things together and upon doing so came into contact with something. Pulling it in front of her she realized it was Xavier's jacket.

"Oh no," standing up Kori quickly rushed to the door and ran outside. She turned her head left to right and frowned. No sign of Xavier. "Crap..."

Stepping back inside Kori threw Xavier's jacket over her arm. She would return it to him Monday morning at school, until then she would just have to hold on to it. Heading back to the living room Kori gathered up the rest of her things. Once she had everything she made her up the stairs and to her room. When inside her room she placed everything on top of her bed. She would organize her things later, but right now she had to check her cell phone.

Kori's eyes widened when she saw how many missed calls she had. A total of twenty calls had been missed. Wondering who called her so many times, Kori checked to see who. To her own surprise, all the calls had been from Dick. Kori shook her head and dialed Dick's number. She had to call him back, after all the calls he made she felt obligated to call him back.

And besides, she wanted to make a date with him for tomorrow.

TT

Elliot chewed his bottom lip out of nerves. His eyes darted over at Roy and he turned his head.

"Keep still." Roy snapped.

Elliot did as he was told and stood up straight.

Roy rubbed his chin as he slowly circled Elliot. His steps were slow and measured, and every few steps he would pause. Roy wanted to know what he was dealing with here, and so he had decided that he needed to know every angle of Elliot. Roy stopped in front of Elliot and looked him up and down. His eyes settled in on Elliot's face and he frowned.

Helping Elliot become appealing to the female population would be one of the greatest to the female population would be one of the greatest challenges he'd ever faced. It would be hard work, but it would be worth it if he got out of doing work for the project.

"This... isn't going to be easy," Roy mused out loud. "This could take weeks, months even."

Elliot couldn't help but feel insulted.

"I'm willing to dedicate myself to this," Roy continued. "But you have to be willing to partake in some hard work."

"I'm ready to learn," Elliot said quickly. "Whatever I have to do I'll do it. Just please teach me the art of picking up chicks."

"In due time, but first you have to learn about styles."

Elliot had perplexed expression on his face. "Style? What does--"

"Hey, who's the master here," Roy snapped, eyes narrowed. Elliot immediately feel silent and mumbled sorry. "Now, you're a geek right? So you know that in the wild the male has to appeal to his female. What you need to do is appeal to the girls at school. We want them to come to you."

"But how do we do that?"

"By making you look attractive," Roy sat down and folded his hands. He couldn't help but feel smug by the sudden power bestowed to him. "First, let's discuss your hair. Now I'm going to be blunt... dude, your hair looks like crap."

Elliot frowned and put a hand to his head.

"Most people don't realize it, but hair is very important. You could look like total shit, but if your hair looks good, people will focus more on that than the rest of you."

"Is hair really that important?" Elliot had always thought status came first.

"Of course it's important! I mean, just look at Kori and I. We are both attractive red headed people."

Elliot smiled as a thought of Kori's hair blowing in the breeze came to him. "Kori does have beautiful hair..."

"That's because she rinses, lathers and repeats. Now with me, I keep my hair looking fashionable by combing it regularly. From now on you'll do the same. And dammit, get rid of those tangles. Girls like guys who have hair they can run their fingers through. It helps stimulate the passion in make-out sessions."

"It does?"

"It does," Roy answered, grinning as he thought of a particular make-out session he had with Jade. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, remembering he was supposed to be helping Elliot. "Another thing about your hair is that it has to be cut. So we'll be heading out to see a barber some time soon."

A look of worry spread across Elliot's face and he clutched his hair. Elliot didn't like barbers. He carried a fear of them ever since elementary school. His mother had forced him to go to a barber and the barber, who's attention had drifted away to a pretty lady, accidently gave him a bald spot.

"Moving on," Roy continued. "Your face... I don't even know how to begin..."

Elliot had a feeling he was going to be insulted.

"Dude, you seriously need some acne medication. As soon as you get the chance go out and get some Clean and Clear or something. And while you're at it, get someone to fix your eyebrows, pardon, _eyebrow_."

Elliot frowned. His prediction was correct, he felt insulted.

"Next thing we need to worry about is that belly of yours. Some serious exercise is in order. And those clothes... You look like a fashion reject. I'm taking you shopping as soon as you lose some weight. And don't even get me started on your nails..."

Elliot groaned and buried his face in his hands. Dealing with Roy was like dealing with a male version of Kitten.

TT

Using the key Kori had given him when they were sophomores, Dick opened the door to Kori's house. Her parents were out with Ryan, and Komi was out with her friends, so it was safe to use the key. Dick didn't want Myan finding out that he had a key, he knew the older man wouldn't approve, so he only used it on days Kori's parents were out of the house.

Stepping into the foyer Dick looked around. "Kori?!"

"I'm upstairs!" she answered.

Dick made his way up the stairs. "What's up? I thought you'd be ready by now."

Kori walked out of her room, meeting him in the hall. She gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I am ready, sorta. I just need to go raid Komi's closet to find my shoes."

"She took your stuff again?" Dick chuckled.

"It is not funny," Kori said as she backed away, her steps taking her to Komi's door. "Do me a favor and grab my purse. It's on top of my bed."

"Of course princess." Dick responded playfully, doing a mock bow. Kori glared at him before entering Komi's room and he laughed.

Dick entered Kori's room with a smile on his face. Yesterday Kori had called him and asked him out to the movies. She also explained why she didn't pick up her phone. Her reason didn't sit to well with Dick, but now none of that seemed to matter. Kori was here with him, she was dedicated to _him_. There was absolutely nothing to worry about.

Or so he thought.

Picking up Kori's purse, Dick's eyes wandered over to something draped over Kori's vanity chair. He dropped the purse back on the bed and slowly walked towards the chair, a frown glued to his face. His hands brushed across the material before he gripped it in his hand and lifted it up. It was a jacket, just like the one Xavier wore to school last week...

"Okay, I found my shoes and I am ready to roll," Kori announced, appearing by the doorway. Dick's back was turned to her and he didn't respond. "Dick, is something wrong?"

"Kori," began Dick. He turned around to face her with the jacket he found clutched in his hand. "What's this?"

Kori was surprised by the tone of voice Dick had used. He sounded angry, and the expression on his face was one she couldn't read. "That's Xavier's jacket. He left it here by accident."

Dick clutched the jacket even harder in his hand, so hard that his knuckles began to turn white. His teeth were gritted and his eyes were narrowed. Inside, Dick could feel his rage boiling. Every suspicion he had must have been true. Why else would Xavier's jacket be in Kori's room? She had cheated. In Dick's eyes that was the only logical explanation.

"Dick, are you alright?" Kori asked, concerned. To her it looked like Dick would pop a vein any minute. She didn't understand why he was so angry all of a sudden.

"Am I alright? Am I alright," Dick shouted, throwing the jacket at her. "How the hell can I be alright when you're fucking Xavier?!"

Kori was stunned to silence. She couldn't believe her ears. "What?"

"I gotta admit, Kori, you had me going with that sorry ass excuse you made," Dick snapped bitterly. "Guess the joke is on me, right? Did you and Xavier get a good laugh?"

"What are you talking about? Xavier and I are friends, that's it," Kori said softly, voice wavering. "Why are you acting this way?"

"Because you cheated on me!" Dick snarled, glaring.

Kori glared back at him. "I _never_ cheated on you. Not with Xavier or anyone! I wouldn't do that to you."

"If that's true why is Xavier's jacket in your room?"

"I already told you why. Because he left it by accident."

"Oh that's bull shit and you know it," Dick uttered, pacing back and forth, his hand clutching his hair. He wanted to punch something. He wanted to kick something. His anger had gone berserk due to his hurt feelings. Dick ceased his pacing and glared at Kori, directing his anger towards her. "You screwed Xavier, I know you did... You can have sex with him but you can't have sex with me, is that right?"

Kori pursed her lips. She was trying to keep a level head but Dick was making it hard to do so. "Dick, I'm asking you to stop now before you say something you'll regret. That _we'll_ regret. Just _stop. _Please."

"Why should I stop? I'm not the one at fault here, you are," Dick accused. "You just couldn't wait to get Xavier into bed, could you? All that stuff about projects and pairing Xavier up with a girl was just a cover up so you could spend more time with him. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you had sex with him more than once--"

"Don't you fucking dare," Kori hissed angrily, marching up to Dick and pointing a finger at him. She had just about enough of his insults. "Don't speak to me like I'm some whore!"

Dick scoffed, turning his head to the side. "You could have fooled me."

A look of disbelief came to Kori's face. "I can't believe you... Why are you acting this way," she cried, voice breaking. "I already told you that I didn't do anything with Xavier. You're supposed to trust me, that's how relationships work."

"Don't lecture me about relationships. I know how relationships work."

"Really? Because the last time I checked you're the one with, like, a thousand ex-girlfriends," Kori snapped. Dick merely stood silent at her comment and looked away. A long moment of silence passed between them. Kori released a sigh of frustration and ran her hand through her hair. "Dick... I want the kind of relationship were trust is a factor. If you don't trust me then..."

Dick turned his gaze towards her, a worried expression on his face. "Then what?"

Kori looked at him with sad eyes. "... then maybe we shouldn't be together."

The room became silent after that.

TT

Vic eyed the girl sitting next to him and tapped the steering wheel with his finger. "So, uh... not that I'm complaining or anything but, why aren't are you riding with Dick to school?"

Kori turned her head away and gazed out the window, completely silent.

Raven, who sat in the back, decided that it was best to change the subject. "Vic, I hear there's an auto show in town. You wanna go?"

"Heck yeah I wanna go!... I just hope that Toni and Karen let me. They've gone all commando on me with this project we're supposed to be doing."

The car came to a stop in the school parking lot and the three teens stepped out of the car. Together they made their way over to the school, but on the way Kori caught sight of someone. That someone was a boy with ebony hair and a motorcycle.

"Hey, I'll meet you two in class." Kori said quickly.

"You sure?" Vic asked.

"Yeah, I need to go speak with someone."

"Well try and make it quick. You know how Mr. Mod feels about lateness." Raven reminded her. She gave Kori a quick hug, catching the red head off guard. She pulled away quickly and walked away with Vic.

Kori turned away and made her way down the school parking lot. Once she reached her destination she gave the boy a tap on the shoulder. He turned around and smiled.

"Hey, cutie," Xavier greeted happily. He frowned when he caught sight of Kori's expression. "Why so glum?"

Kori ignored the question and pulled out his jacket from her book-bag, handing it to him. "You left this at my house. Here."

Xavier took the jacket and stuffed it in his book-bag. "Thanks. Now how about an answer to my question."

"I have to get to class." Kori responded, turning away.

Xavier quickly took hold of her arm. "Kori, what's wrong?"

"You used my name. I guess that means you're being serious," Kori said softly. She fiddled her fingers, blinking back tears. "Dick and I... we had an argument."

"Why?"

Before Kori could answer him, Dick came marching over.

TT

Pulling into the school parking lot Dick removed his helmet. Using his motorcycle to get to school had been a genius idea. Taking his motorcycle always helped to clear his head, which was exactly what he needed thanks to yesterday's drama. He wasn't exactly sure how to deal with his current situation with Kori, but hopefully some of the wounds could be mended today. He knew he had to apologize and he wanted to as soon as possible.

Getting off his motorcycle he turned around. When he did his eyes saw something horrible.

Kori and Xavier were together.

"Son of a bitch," Dick growled, making his way towards the two. Why was if that Xavier always had to be around Kori? This was something that had to stop, _now. "_Hey!"

Xavier rolled his eyes. "Speak of the devil."

"Xavier, you and I need to talk." Dick said angrily, stepping in front of Kori.

"Sorry jock boy, but I was in the middle of--"

"Trying to steal my girlfriend."

"If I wanted to steal Kori from you I would have done it by now." Xavier replied coolly, taking satisfaction at pushing Dick's buttons.

"You know I would be more than willing to rearrange your face right?"

"Okay you two," Kori intervened, coming in the middle of the two and pushing them apart. "That's enough. You two are both out of line."

"Stay out of this, Kori," said Dick. "This is between me and him."

Xavier narrowed his eyes. "I am so surprised Kori hasn't dumped your sorry ass yet. I'm done here," Xavier turned away. "I'll see you later, cutie."

Dick clenched his fist, his temper rising. Xavier had no right to be around Kori, absolutely no right. Rushing up behind Xavier, Dick gave him a rough shove, sending him forward. However, Xavier was quick on his feet and caught his balance before he could fall to the ground.

Standing up straight, Xavier turned around to face Dick. He glared at him. "I'm not the type of guy you want to pick a fight with."

"No, you're the type of guy that steals girlfriends," Dick hissed. "Now I'm only going to give you one warning, stay the hell away from Kori."

Xavier smirked. "Make me."

"Gladly." Dick said right before delivering a punch to Xavier's jaw, sending the teen tumbling to the crowd. Upon seeing a punch delivered a group of kids immediately stopped in there tracks and watched.

"Fight!" someone yelled loudly. That started a domino effect and more people began to gather around and watch.

On the ground Xavier lifted himself up. He wiped his mouth against his hand and was surprised to see blood. "That's some punch you got," Xavier said, standing up. He glared at Dick and launched himself forward, bringing forth his fist and crashing it into Dick's face. Dick fell backwards and landed on his back. "But mines is better."

Dick blinked his eyes, trying to adjust his vision. Picking himself up off the ground Dick glared at Xavier, hating the smirk he had on his face. Running forward Dick threw a left punch as a distraction, which Xavier dodged easily. This left an opening for Dick to slam a punch to Xavier's stomach, making him double over. Dick then launched another punch, this time his fist connected with Xavier's jaw.

Xavier tumbled backwards and shook his head, trying to shake off the stars in his eyes. Once his vision cleared he saw Dick moving in. Xavier reacted quickly and caught Dick's fist. Using the grip he had Xavier twisted Dick's arm behind his back.

Dick grunted in pain.

"You can still back out now if you want." Xavier hissed.

"And let you take Kori away from me again," Dick grunted as Xavier applied more pressure to his arm. "Not a chance!"

"Your funeral." Xavier replied, pushing Dick on to the ground. Xavier moved quickly and delivered a kick to Dick's stomach. Dick rolled on to his side and Xavier kicked him once more.

Meanwhile, right after some kid yelled out "fight", Kori somehow found herself pushed to the back of a growing crowd. Unable to see anything, but hear only cheering, Kori forced her way through the crowd. As she pushed her way through the hordes of people, she finally made it to the front of the crowd. Upon doing so her eyes were met with a horrible sight: Dick on the ground getting kicked repeatedly by Xavier.

"Xavier! Xavier, stop!" Kori cried. She couldn't bear to see Dick in so much pain.

Upon hearing Kori's voice Xavier ceased his violent attack on Dick. He tore his eyes away from the boy on the ground and turned his attention towards the red head. "Kori?"

Taking his eyes away from Dick was a grave mistake on Xavier's part. As soon as he turned his back Dick managed to get up. As soon as he was on his feet, Dick ran towards Xavier and tackled him to the ground.

Now that he had the upper hand, Dick took his window of opportunity and attacked Xavier, punching him repeatedly. All of the anger that he had within just poured out in the form of violent blows.

"Dick, stop! You're hurting him," Kori yelled as she ran forward, pulling at Dick's jacket to try and pry him off of Xavier. "Dick, please!"

Dick was too deep in a blind rage to even notice Kori's voice. However, he did take notice when she grabbed his arm, only he didn't realize that it was her. To him, the person grabbing at his arm was in the way, and to be rid of the pester he pushed the burden away. Literally.

It wasn't until he realized that he had shoved Kori to the floor that Dick stopped his assault.

"Kori," Dick quickly moved so he could help her up. "Kori, I'm so sorry. I-I didn't realize--"

Kori pushed him away. "Let go of me," she left his side and ran over to Xavier, kneeling before the fallen boy. "Xavier, can you hear me?"

"I'm... gonna--" Xavier hissed in pain, cutting off his sentence.

"Ssh, enough." Kori said softly, sitting him up.

"Oh snap, here comes Wilson!" yelled someone from the crowd.

Marching through the crowd was none other than the principal himself, an angry expression on his face. Mr. Wilson was not pleased with having seen a crowd gathered outside from his office window. A path immediately formed for him by the frightened students. Mr. Wilson, along with a small group of teachers, stepped before the three teens that were the center of attention.

Mr. Wilson glared at the three teens before him, two of which were badly beaten. "You three have some explaining to do."

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO Daniella, Star 4 Robin, Trimacle, featherpen13, RavenSis, BerryDrops, cookiesruletheworld, clarkLover1, superanimated, Koriand'r Grayson, Affinitive, jcyz, RobinxStarfireLuvr, xxScriblezxx, ravencherithgirl, of questionable sanity, writing4eva, Agent of the Divine One, StarReader86, cookiegurl15, tennisgal456, BeastgirlRaven, TeenTitansFreakFanForever AND ella thompson FOR THE FANTASTIC REVIEWS! YOU ARE ALL SO GREAT AND I COULDN'T ASK FOR BETTER READERS. I HOPE YOU ALL LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

**OKAY, DRUM ROLL PLEASE... CONGRATS TO RobinxStarfireLuvr FOR BEING MY 700TH REVIEWER! AS A REWARD YOU GET TO ASK ME ONE QUESTION ABOUT EITHER THIS STORY, THE TWO SEQUELS THAT WILL FOLLOW IT, OR EVEN When We Were Young IF YOU LIKE. CHOOSE YOUR QUESTION WISELY BECAUSE YOU ONLY GET ONE.**

**ALSO, I'D LIKE TO BRING SOME ATTENTION TO A NEW STORY THAT IS OUT. IT'S CALLED ****Where I'd Like To Be**** BY ****The Morbid Poet****. IT'S A REAL COOL STORY, AND TO THOSE WHO LIKE SPEEDY A LOT YOU'LL ENJOY IT, I KNOW I DO! IT'S REAL GOOD STORY SO DROP BY AND READ IT. YOU WON'T BE SORRY. **

**NEXT CHAPTER: KORI AND DICK'S RELATIONSHIP HAS HIT ROCK BOTTOM. WILL THEY BE ABLE TO OVERCOME THEIR PROBLEMS, OR IS THIS THE END OF DICK AND KORI?**

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	34. I'm in love with a girl

"Okay, this is _so _not good," deduced Karen as she spied on Kori. She turned her head towards Raven. "I mean, just look at her. The poor girl is suffering."

"She looks fine to me," Raven replied dryly, she too was spying on Kori. "Maybe she's taking this whole spat with Dick better than we thought."

Both girls focused their gaze back on Kori who was currently resting comfortably on the sofa. The red headed girl had a large bowl of popcorn in her hands and a blanket was draped over her legs. Her attention was currently focused on the television in front of her.

Karen shook her head, dismissing Raven's notion. "No way, not possible. You know how Kori is when it comes to Dick."

"You're right. We should go in there and talk to her."

Both girls stepped timidly into the living room and approached Kori. They stood behind the sofa and glanced at each other, silently trying to decided who would break the silence. Karen made a motion for Raven to speak, and the purple haired girl released an awkward cough in hopes of getting Kori's attention.

Kori looked up at them and smiled. "Hey guys. I didn't notice you standing there."

"Hey, Kori... how's it going?" Karen asked. Raven slapped her forehead.

Kori rose a brow at the question and shrugged indifferently. "Uh, it's going good I guess. I'm watching a movie. Do you want to watch it with me?"

"Kori," Raven sat down besides her and placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "Karen and I are here to help. You don't have to be so strong."

A perplexed expression worked it's way onto Kori's face. "What are you talking about?"

Karen sat down next to Kori as well. "Aren't you sad about your breakup with Dick?"

Kori chuckled a bit, earning confused stares from both Raven and Karen. "Why would I be sad? Dick and I didn't break up."

"You... didn't? But you... and he...," Karen shook her head. "Okay, I'm confused."

"We didn't break up," Kori explained. "We're on a break."

Karen gasped in horror, her eyes wide in shock. "Oh goodness no, Kori, no! Being on a break is just as bad as breaking up."

"How so?" asked Raven, crossing her arms.

"Well, first of all, when you're on a break, your boy or girlfriend can cheat on you and it won't count."

"What are you talking about," responded Raven. "Of course it will count."

"Not uh! Anything goes when on a break. Kori would be better off separated from Dick!"

"Karen!" snapped Raven, glaring daggers at the girl. Just what was she thinking? This was a delicate subject for Kori and it was supposed to be handled with care, she wasn't supposed to be blunt.

"What? I'm sorry but it's the truth! On break relationships are no good at all," Karen crossed her arms. "And besides, I think Kori would be better off without Dick."

"Karen," snapped Raven. "Just what do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm trying to help Kori," Karen replied angrily. "For the love of Gad, Raven, Dick walks all over Kori like she's a welcome door mat. This type of behavior can't continue. When Vic treated me like crap, I tossed his ass to the side."

"Karen, it's Kori's decision on whether or not if she continues to see Dick. Now unless she ask for your advice, keep your big mouth shut!"

A glaring match they started between Raven and Karen, one that continued until Kori released an awkward cough. "Uh... guys?"

The glaring match stopped immediately and both Karen and Raven turned their focus towards Kori.

"I appreciate you two trying to help me but... whatever is going on with me and Dick is between us. This time we need to deal with things on our own."

"But--"

"I promise, if I need you two then I will tell you, but right now I don't feel like talking about Dick," Kori rose from her seat. "Now if you'll both excuse me, I... I'll be in my room."

With that said Kori quickly made her way out of the living room and rushed up the stairs, a frown on her face.

Raven sighed and glanced at Karen. "I think we made things worse."

TT

Dick winced as he turned over in his bed. A few days had past since his fight with Xavier and his body was still in pain. Dick sighed, his shoulders slumping as his heart squeezed with depression. Ever since the day of the fight he hadn't seen or heard from Kori. He hadn't been to school since the fight, which explained him not seeing her, but whenever he tried to talk to her over the phone he got no answer. To make matters worse Kori had declared him and her on an official break.

It happened right after him, Kori and Xavier received a lecture from Mr. Wilson. Once the three of them were dismissed from the principal's office, Dick had caught Kori in the hall before she took off, pulling her to the side for a private conversation...

_"Kori, wait up a second," Dick said, grabbing Kori by the hand. "We need to talk."_

_Kori rubbed her temples, frustrated. "Dick... not now. I'm really not in the mood."_

_"I know I screwed up, but we really need to talk."_

_"She said she didn't feel like talking." Xavier snarled, stepping in between them._

_Dick narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist. He was more than ready for round two. "What is with you? Don't you have your own life? Kori is _my_ girlfriend, I can speak with her all I want."_

_"Listen rich boy, Kori is my friend, and if she doesn't want to talk then she doesn't have to."_

_"Do I have to rearrange your face for you to get the clue? Back the fuck off!"_

_"Make me!" Xavier snapped, stepping forward with balled fist and a look that could kill._

_Kori quickly got between them. She didn't want a repeat of what happened earlier. "Would you two cut it out! I am sick of you two fighting," Kori shouted angrily, glaring at both of them. Her eyes settled on Dick. "If it's really that important then let's talk."_

_"What," Xavier spluttered, completely shocked. "Kori, you can't be serious."_

_"Xavier, enough. You're on thin ice too," Kori snapped. Her eyes softened and she took Xavier's hand in her own. She knew Xavier was only being a good friend. "Look, I'm sorry... but Dick's right. He and I need to talk."_

_"But--"_

_"I'll be okay, you don't have to worry. Just... go."_

_Xavier stood his ground, his eyes settled on Kori while contemplating. He didn't like the thought of leaving Kori alone with Dick, not after how that neanderthal shoved her, but he knew he had to respect Kori's request. Staying would only cause more problems, and he was in enough trouble already, with both Kori and Mr. Wilson. Xavier reluctantly agreed to go, but not before giving Dick one last glare._

_Once Xavier was out of sight, Dick spoke. "That guy really needs to learn how to mind his own business."_

_Kori turned around to face Dick, eyes narrowed and full of rage. She raised her hand and brought it towards Dick's face, striking his cheek. Dick stumbled a bit before catching his balance. He looked at Kori with wide eyes._

_"That guy is _my _friend and you need to start treating him with some damn respect! My God, Dick, what is wrong with you? I told you nothing is going on between me and Xavier and you attack him anyways! You're supposed to trust me and you don't!"_

_Dick was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say to try and make things better. "I... Kori... I do trust you, I do."_

_"No you don't, Dick...," Kori whispered sadly, tears rimming her eyes. "You don't."_

_"Kori, I'm so sorry," Dick said softly, taking a step towards her with open arms. He never meant for things to get so out of control. "I never meant--"_

_Kori raised her hand, halting him in his steps. "I think we should go... on a break."_

_Dick felt like she had slapped him again. "E-excuse me? Did you just say we should go on a.. a break?"_

_Kori bit her lip, looking away._

_"Look, Kori, I know I messed up but c'mon," Dick said, feeling fearful. A break was never a good sign in a relationship. "You can't be serious. A break? That's not really necessary."_

_"... It is necessary. I need time to think, we both do."_

_"To think? What the hell does that mean," Dick shouted angrily. "What is there to think about?!"_

_"I just need some time to think okay," Kori cried. "I'm not breaking up with you, I just need to think... Please."_

_Dick bit his tongue, forcing any words that were about to come out back down. The last thing he needed was to make matters worse. Reluctantly he nodded. "Fine... whatever you say. Take all the time you need."_

_Kori nodded at him, brushing away any tears that had spilled down her cheeks. "Thank you... for understanding."_

_And with that said Kori had turned her back on him and walked away._

That was the last time Dick had saw Kori in what felt like forever. Apparently Kori had gone straight home after leaving him alone in the hall.

Dick sighed into his pillow, his mind mulling over Kori and her words. He still didn't comprehend why she wanted this break. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what she needed to think about. What was there to think about? Dick understood the fact that she was upset with him and that he had messed up, but was it really necessary for her to take this break?

Dick bit his lip out of worry. What if Kori was rethinking their entire relationship? What if she wanted to break up with him? After everything that he did he wouldn't be surprised if she called a quits. For crying out loud he pushed her to the ground. Dick groaned and ran a hand through his hair, disgusted in himself. He couldn't believe he pushed Kori, _Kori_, his best friend and girlfriend, to the ground. Out of all the stupid things he's ever done, that takes the cake.

"What am I gonna do?" Dick whispered pitifully into his pillow.

TT

Jenn's eyebrow twitched in annoyance and her hands clutched the cover of the book she was holding. She narrowed her eyes at Kitten and a scowl settled on her face. "Do you mind?" Jenn whispered to the blonde sitting across from her. They were in the library so Jenn had to keep her voice low.

"Mind what?" Kitten asked, baffled.

"Could you please stop popping your gum?" Jenn requested.

"Uh...," Kitten paused to think about Jenn's request before smirking. "No."

Jenn gritted her teeth, biting her tongue. The last thing she wanted to do was make a scene. Releasing a breath of air, Jenn felt herself calm down. Now that she was calm she could speak to Kitten in a civil way. "Kitten, I'm doing most of the work. The least you could do us try to be less annoying."

Kitten rolled her eyes. "Fine..."

"Thank you," Jenn resumed reading. After a few minutes of reading, Kitten began to tap her heel from boredom. The noise began to frustrate Jenn and she glared at the girl. "What is your problem? I'm trying to concentrate here!"

"Well excuse me for getting bored," Kitten replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm not the studying type of girl in case you haven't noticed."

"Right, because you're the bitchy type of girl instead."

Kitten scowled at Jenn. "You're one to talk, weird goth girl!"

"Would you lower your voice stupid," Jenn snapped. "You're gonna get us kicked out."

"To late," said the librarian sternly, standing behind Jenn. She pointed a finger towards the door. "Out."

TT

It didn't take long for the guilt to settle in on Babs. After hearing about the fight between Xavier and Dick, Babs was consumed with worry for Dick's well being. She had instantly sought Dick out and upon finding him, she engaged him in conversation. At first she was thrilled when he told her about what happened between him and Kori, and her intentions was to drive them further apart, but then after taking a good look at Dick she crumpled. Babs found herself unable to move forward with her plan.

She felt genuinely sorry for what she did to Dick. After she visited him in Wayne Manor she knew what she did was wrong. Dick was miserable by Kori's absence. She thought she would be able to help him forget about Kori, and make him fall in love with her in the process, but when she tried Dick had rebuffed her and told her to go. It was as if he had become a lost soul without Kori's presence.

Which is why Babs found herself standing outside Kori's house. She needed to get Kori to take Dick back. She needed to fix her mistake before it was to late.

In all honesty this was the last thing Babs wanted to do. She thought Kori was a great person, she truly did, but she didn't think that Kori deserved Dick's love. Babs thought she was a better fit for Dick, but that dream she had of them being together was to be dismissed now. She realized now that she couldn't compete against Kori for Dick's affection, it would be a game she would never win.

But despite that, she had one final move to make. She needed to convince Kori to take Dick back. If she could do this then Dick would be happy again, which is all she wanted.

Ringing the doorbell to the Anders home, Babs stepped back and waited for someone to answer the door. She didn't have to wait long and the door opened to reveal Kori.

"Babs," Kori's expression was one of surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh... I was hoping we could talk."

"Oh, sure, come on in."

"Actually, I have to leave soon, so could we just talk out here real quick?"

"Okay then," Kori replied, sitting down on the front step. "What do you want to talk about?"

Babs sat timidly besides Kori before answering. "Dick."

"Dick? You want to talk about Dick?"

Babs nodded. "He really misses you, Kori, and I've never seen him so depressed. You gotta take him back, you just gotta."

Kori sighed before rubbing her temples. "Babs... I don't know. I mean, Dick and I aren't exactly on the best of terms right now."

"I know. He told me what happened," replied Babs. "But, think of it this way, what Dick did, he only did because he's in love with you. Give him a second chance."

Kori bit her lip and looked away.

"Listen, I have to go," Babs said, standing up. "My dad is expecting me home. Kori, please think about what I said. Dick needs you."

With that said Babs took off, leaving Kori to contemplate her words.

TT

Alain was really starting to regret having Wally as a partner. At first he thought having Wally as a partner would be great, but when the actual work for the project began, Alain found himself taking back his words. So far, Wally had yet to pull his own weight. The red headed boy had done nothing but goof off, and Alain had about enough of Wally's antics.

Stepping into Wally's room, Alain coughed in hopes of capturing his attention. When that didn't work Alain coughed louder, but Wally, who was currently playing a video game, ignored him still. Alain narrowed his eyes and lost his temper. "Hey!"

The ship Wally was playing as crashed and Wally pouted at the mocking 'game over' sign that flashed before his very eyes. "Aw man, I was so close to winning."

Alain could feel his vein throb. "Enough about your game, Wally, we have serious work to do! Or did you forget about the project we have to do?"

Wally turned his eyes towards Alain and blinked in surprise. "Hey dude, when did you get here?"

"I've been standing here...," Alain sighed. "Forget it. Let's just get to work."

"Aw, do we have to?" Wally whined. He really didn't feel like working.

"Hey, don't complain. I've been doing most of the work."

"You're right, you have been doing most of the work," Wally said with a smirk, slinging an arm around Alain's shoulder. He had a plan to get out of working on the project. "And to repay you, I say we got the arcade. My treat of course."

"But what about our project?"

"We'll worry about that later," Wally said, his grin becoming wider. He knew slacking off would come back to haunt him, but there was a new game at the arcade that he was itching to play. "C'mon, Alain, carpe diem!"

Alain couldn't stop the smile that tugged at his lips. One day off couldn't hurt.

TT

Kori gathered up every piece of paper and document she and Xavier had collected for their project. She made sure to place everything in order before putting it away in a purple folder. Once she was done she smiled proudly before handing the folder over to Xavier. "There you go, everything is in there."

Based on Kori's current situation, Xavier thought it would be best if he took over the project. He knew that Kori was under a lot of stress, so he wanted to help remove some of her burdens by completing the rest of their project. "So you're sure everything's in here? You're not holding out on me are you?"

Kori giggled a bit. "I'm positive. It's all in there," Kori crossed her arms. "Xavier, are you sure you want to do this? I have no problem helping--"

"Cutie, the project is half way done already. All I have to do really is write up the report. It's no problem at all."

"You have no idea how much this means to me, Xavier. Thank you."

"Like I said, no problem," Xavier shifted his eyes, looking left to right. He was curious as to how Kori's relationship with Dick was going so far, but he didn't want to pester Kori by asking. Even so, the urge to ask was too strong for him to ignore. "So, uh, how's everything on your end?"

"You want to know what's up with me and Dick, don't you?" Kori inquired dryly, sounding much like Raven.

"You caught me," Xavier sat down on the chair besides Kori's vanity mirror. "Seriously, how are things between you two?"

"Uh... they've been better. I have to admit, I've been avoiding Dick these past few days."

"That bad huh?"

Kori nodded sadly. "I'm just so upset with Dick right now I can't even focus. His behavior was completely out of line. And I haven't the slightest clue where he got this idea that I would sleep with you. I thought he knew me better than that... And then him picking that fight with you," Kori shook her head. "I mean, I know you two weren't the best of friends, but you were friends."

Xavier scratched the back of his neck. He felt the need to come clean with Kori. "Cutie... there's something I gotta say. You deserve to know the truth... You see, Dick and I only pretended to be friends to make you happy."

Kori's mouth was agape and her eyes were wide. "You mean..."

Xavier nodded. "Yup. We hate each other's guts. Always have."

"So this whole time you two have been acting... And it was all just to make me happy?"

Xavier nodded once more. "Listen, I hate the guy more than you know but... I guess he sorta, kinda, cares about you. I still think he's an ass and that you can do better, but whatever," Xavier stood up and kissed the top of Kori's head. "See you later, cutie."

Before he could take one step out the door, Kori called out to him. "Xavier, wait," Xavier paused in his tracks and looked back at her. Kori found herself suddenly feeling shy and she avoided eye contact. "Uh... who's idea was it to fake being friends?"

"As odd as it sounds, it was actually Dick's idea. I never thought he would follow through with it, but he's actually kept his word up until recently."

With that being said Xavier left, leaving a very confused Kori behind.

TT

Vic sat uncomfortably in the middle of Toni and Karen. Ever since the start of the project he had been very careful when around them. He made sure to think twice about what he said before he said it, just in case they might take it the wrong way and yell at him. The topic of women rights had sparked a flame in both of them, one that Vic had to be careful not to upset.

"You know, the way they treated women back in the old days is so unfair," vented Toni, a book in hand. "I mean, women weren't even allowed to own property. What kind of crap is that?"

"I'm just glad things aren't like that today," replied Karen. She turned her attention towards the boy next to her. "What do you think, Vic?"

"Huh," Vic hadn't been paying attention and missed the question. He was busy reading a comic book he had hid in his text book. "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening."

Toni frowned and crossed her arms. "Wow, how surprising. A guy not paying attention when a girl is speaking. You know, Vic, you really need to pay attention when a girl talks to you."

"Okay." Vic replied indifferently.

"Why weren't you paying attention anyway?" inquired Karen, eyes narrowed.

"Uh... no reason!" Vic answered quickly, eyes looking back and forth in worry. He noticed Karen glaring at him as she stood up. She then grabbed the book he was holding and yanked it from his hands. Karen then pulled the comic book out and scowled at him.

"Spider-man? You're supposed to be helping us gather information and instead you're reading Spider-man?!"

"Uh...," Vic stood up quickly. "My spider-sense is tingling! Gotta go!" Vic then grabbed his book-bag and ran out the door.

"I can't believe he just left!" exclaimed Karen.

"You know what this calls for," began Toni, a grin on her face. "A sleep over! Us gals can get together and dish about the guys."

Karen high fived Toni. "Count me in!"

TT

English wasn't Kori's best subject, in fact, it was her worse subject. She always found it difficult when dealing with grammar and spelling. It was a very complicated subject, which is why Kori always gave her best when dealing with it. Her undivided attention would focus on only things related to English when doing her homework. However, today she found it extremely difficult to concentrate on her homework.

She couldn't get her mind off of Dick. She tried to but she just couldn't, and if she succeeded in doing so her victory was short lived. A few minutes later her thoughts would land right back on him. Kori sighed, her pencil falling and her hand rubbing her temples. Just what could Dick be doing right now, she wondered. Was he okay? Was he miserable? Was he with a girl?

Kori cringed at that last thought. Negative thoughts were never good in situations like these. Speaking of situations, Kori wasn't exactly sure on how to deal with her current one. This whole "on break" thing with Dick was way out of hand. At first Kori thought it was a good idea, a little time apart never hurt. But then Karen had struck the fear of God into her. If on break relationships were as bad as she said, Kori was sure she was doomed. Or was she? Babs told her that Dick missed her. If he missed her he would be patient and not do anything stupid.

Kori frowned. Dick was known for doing idiotic things.

Kori thumped her head against her vanity table, a moan escaping her lips. She was in a jam and she didn't know what to do. A part of her wanted to run to Wayne Manor and forgive Dick, but another part of her wanted to knock his lights out. Her feelings were in a tennis match, going back and forth. She didn't know what to do...

Someone knocked at her door.

Kori lifted her head up, a piece of loose leaf attached to her forehead. Pulling the paper off she responded to the knock. "It's open!"

The door opened to reveal Luan. "Hey, sweetie. Got a minute?"

Kori sat up straight. "Of course, mom. What is it?"

"I just wanted to let you know that your father and I will be leaving in an hour," said Luan, taking a spare chair Kori had in the corner and pulling it besides her, sitting down. Myan and Luan had planned a trip to Gotham. Once they got there they would stay at Kori's grandmother - Myan's mother - house. The elderly woman couldn't wait to get a visit from Ryan who would be attending the trip too. "I thought you should know in case you had anything to tell me..."

Kori bit her lip.

Luan placed a hand above Kori's hand, smiling slightly. "Tell me what's wrong, sweetie. And don't deny it, I can tell something is bothering you," she added. "A mother can always tell."

Kori smiled sadly. She was happy her mother was here to listen, maybe she could help her figure out what to do. "It's Dick."

"Ah, boy troubles," Luan sighed and nodded knowingly, patting Kori's hand. "Tell me what happened."

And Kori did. She spilled out the whole story, excluding only a few details, she as bits and pieces of her argument with Dick and him accidently shoving her to the ground. Other than that she told her mother everything.

"And so now I'm totally confused," Kori confessed, distraught. "Karen says I should leave Dick. And then Babs says I should take him back. I don't know what to do!"

Luan paused briefly, absorbing all of the information. She knew Kori was holding in a lot, but she didn't approach her in hopes that she would come to her on her own time. Now she wished she would have butted in sooner.

Kori looked at her mother expectantly as she waited for words of wisdom to save her from her distress. She nearly gasped when her mother spoke.

"Well, what does your heart tell you?"

Kori deflated. She hadn't been expecting that. Despite the surprise she took in her mother's words and reflected on them. What was her heart telling her? "I... I don't know."

"Consider this, Kori," began Luan. "If you really wanted to be separated from Dick would you be thinking about this so much?"

"I suppose I wouldn't... but does that mean I should just take him back?"

"No, necessarily. But when dealing with love, you have to be willing to accept both the good and the bad. Sometimes love can be the most beautiful thing in the world, and sometimes it can be your worse enemy. You have to learn how to accept both factors."

Kori frowned, still confused. "I don't understand."

"Well... Tell me what it is that you like about Dick."

It didn't take Kori long to answer that one. "I love his eyes and the way he styles his hair. I like it when I'm around him, and when he holds me. He makes me feel confident and he defends me. He believes in me. He acts tough, and he is, but he's also really sweet. And he makes me feel safe and happy. He know how to make me laugh and when he looks at me I feel... special."

"That's good," Luan smiled. "Now tell me what you don't like about him."

"Well... he... can be controlling at times. He's a bit of a sore loser. He also gets jealous real easily. Sometimes he's way over protective. And he tends to overreact. At times, when he's upset, he'll either do something stupid or take it out on the person next to him. He's also a bit of a leacher," Kori blushed and looked away. "I... didn't mean to tell you that last part."

Luan chose to ignore that lecher statement for now. She would come back to that when Kori wasn't dealing with a serious problem. "Everything you just told me are Dick's good and bad qualities. All of those aspects are who he is, they balance him. It's like ying and yang. You can't have one without the other. You may not like it, but to be with Dick you have to accept everything about him."

"So, if I truly want to be with Dick I have to be prepared to accept him for all that he is? I have to be sure that I can handle everything about him," Kori asked. Luan nodded. "I think I understand now. Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome, sweetie," Luan rose from her seat and kissed Kori's forehead. She pulled away and smiled. "I'm glad we had this talk. Oh, and one more thing, Komi is spending the night at Donna's so it'll be just you and Raven tonight."

"Actually it's just going to be me. Raven's going to a sleep over at Toni's house."

Luan rose a brow. "And you're not?"

"To be honest I'd rather not go."

"Why is that? You love sleep overs."

"At first I was too depressed to go," confessed Kori. "But now I have some thinking to do about a certain guy."

TT

Dick was done being moping. If Kori wanted to be on a break that was perfectly fine with him. He was sick of waiting by the phone for her to call, he was sick of thinking about their endangered relationship till the point of insanity, and he was sick of being depressed. For crying out loud, he was Dick Grayson. Stuff like this never used to happen to him. Back in the old days girls would mope and chase after him. Girls would wait weeks by the phone in hopes that he would call them back.

What he needed to do was relive the glory days. One night of no troubles would do him good. It would be just like the good old days before love became a factor in his life.

Which is why he decided to go to a party.

One of the football players from school were throwing a party tonight, and he just so happened to be one of the select few invited to the extravaganza.

Putting on his best outfit, Dick hopped on his motorcycle and drove off into the night. It didn't take him long to arrive at the designated area. Stepping inside the large suburban home, his ears were greeted by pounding music and hordes of people. The guys nodded his way and bumped fist while the girls smirked at him and waved. Dick caught sight of an ebony haired girl and grinned at her. She seemed interesting enough. He especially liked the tube top she was wearing.

Walking over to her, Dick leaned his shoulder coolly against the wall. "Hey, what's up?"

She took a sip of her drink, shrugging indifferently.

"You gonna tell me your name?"

"I'm Grace," she smiled, eyes shining. "I know your name. Dick Grayson, right?"

"Guilty as charged."

"Hmm... where's your posse?"

Dick shrugged indifferently. "They weren't invited. If they were they would have told me."

She stepped closer. "And what about your little girlfriend?"

Dick stepped closer and placed a hand on her hip. "What about her?"

Those three words prompted the two to engage in conversation, which then lead them to the dance floor, and finally the kitchen. They walked into the kitchen in a fit of laughter.

"Okay, all of that dancing has me dying from thirst!" Grace said in between laughs.

"Well I can't have you dying from thirst. If you weren't here I'd have no one to keep me company," Dick replied, winking. He had forgotten how much fun ut was to be a player. Of course he was only acting as one. Kori was still inside his heart, so he was going to be faithful. But that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun, just for tonight so he could unwind. Dick opened the door to the refrigerator. "What's your poison?"

"Usually I stick to cherry pop, but since it's a party...," Grace pulled out the six pack of beer from the refrigerator. "We might as well enjoy ourselves."

Dick's eyes widened from behind his sunglasses. He stared at the six pack as if it was a death trap.

Grace opened a can. "What's the matter?"

"Uh...," Dick shifted uncomfortably as old memories resurfaced. He could feel his stomach twisting. "I'm not really thirsty."

"Dick, lighten up. It's a party remember," Grace reminded him. "It's just beer, it doesn't bite."

Dick could just imagine how Kori would react if she was witnessing this moment. First she would drain the beer, and any other alcoholic beverage, down the sink. Then she would claw out Grace's eyes because she offered him the horrid substance. Finally she would grab dick by the ear and drag him home.

"Listen," Grace's voice broke him away from his imagination. "If you don't want to it's cool. Just grab a soda."

Dick paused. He knew if he took that beer Kori would be furious with him... but Kori wasn't here now.

Dick took a can and popped it open. Swinging his head back he gulped down the entire contents of the can. Once he was finished he sighed in content. "That was good. I think I'll have another."

Grace grinned. "Well there's plenty more where that came from my friend."

After that first can Dick found himself unable to stop. He found himself drinking whatever he could get his hands on, everything from beer to the tequila hidden behind the china plates. An old familiar feeling washed over him. He felt like he was floating, like if he was free from any burdens. Any pain that was there before was now replaced with happiness.

As of right now Dick was lounging on the couch with a nagging Grace by his side.

Grace pulled at Dick's hand, trying to make him move but failing miserably. "C'mon, Dick! Let's dance!"

"I'm not in the mood." Dick replied, feeling relaxed.

"Ugh," Grace crossed her arms. "You are no fun!"

Dick frowned. All of her complaining was ruining his mellow. "Would you shut up! I'm trying to relax!"

"No wonder why you showed up alone. Your girlfriend probably can't stand you!" Grace then stormed away, disappearing into the crowd.

Dick frowned, his thoughts going to Kori. If only if she was here now...

That's when an idea came to Dick. If Kori couldn't be here with him, he would just have to go to her.

TT

Kori sat curled up in her couch, a book in hand. It was almost midnight, and there wasn't anything interesting on television. To make up for the lack of entertainment she had grabbed a book Raven had lent her. She never got around to reading it, and now that she had nothing better to do she could finally start reading it. Just as she was about to turn to a new chapter, the doorbell rang.

Kori rose a brow. Just who could be knocking at her door at this time? Standing up she went to go find out. She went over to the door and looked through the peek hole. What she saw on the other side made her gasp. Swinging the door open Kori became face to face with a swaying Dick.

"Dick, what are you doing here? Are you okay?" Kori noticed that the boy before her could barely stand up straight, that wasn't a good sign.

"K-kori," Dick leaned against her, giving her a sloppy hug. "It's _so _good to see you!"

Kori's eyes widened. She could smell the alcohol radiating off of him. "You were drinking."

Dick hiccuped, stumbling inside to the foyer. "N-no I wasn't," Dick tripped and landed on the bottom of the stairs, chuckling. "Okay, I lied! I drunk just a _wee _bit."

A million thoughts raced through Kori at once. A bundle of emotions attacked her at once. She had so many questions. "How did you get here?"

"Oh... Brad dropped me off," Dick answered tiredly, leaning his head against the railing. "I got my... my... uh... That thing on wheels too. It's in that park thingy of yours."

"The drive way," Kori corrected, kneeling before Dick, a frown on her face. "Look at yourself, Dick, you're a mess. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking you and I needed to have a chat," Dick shouted, disoriented. "I... I have a problem with this on break thingy, cause, y'know... it's bad!"

Kori released a frustrated sigh and heaved Dick up to his feet. "Come on, you need to get to bed."

"Are we gonna do it?" Dick asked, nuzzling Kori's neck.

"No, but you will be going to sleep," Kori replied, opening the door to her room and kicking it open. She lead Dick over to her bed and sat him down. She removed his boots, his glasses, and his jacket. Once she did that she pulled the covers over him. "Just close your eyes and rest."

Dick sat up. "But there's a whole party downstairs! They... they gonna drink all the tequila. K-kori, the t-tequila!"

Kori's eyebrow twitched. She was so upset right now she felt like knocking him out. However she restrained herself. Perhaps she could trick him into falling asleep. "But, Dick, you're sleepy. You said so yourself. Don't you feel tired," Kori yawned. "I know I am."

Dick yawned too, his eyes closing. He leaned his head back, feeling sleepy. "Sleep... sleep sounds good..."

That's all it took for him to slip off into dream land. Kori found herself gazing at him while he slept. She sighed, her heart swelling.

"Why do you do this to me, Dick?"

TT

When Dick work up in the morning, the first thing he laid eyes on was Kori. She was sitting on a chair, facing him, her arms crossed and an upset look on her face. Dick sat up, wincing at the sharp pain he felt in his head. A hangover. He hadn't had one of those in a long time. Rubbing his head, Dick's eyes traveled over to gaze at Kori.

"Morning."

Kori didn't reply.

Dick sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He could only begin to imagine what he did or said to upset Kori even more. One thing was for sure, he was in trouble. "Okay... it's understandable that you're pist--"

"You were drinking last night," Kori interrupted softly. "You promised you wouldn't drink anymore."

Dick sighed, his shoulder slumping as guilt washed over him. "I know, and I'm sorry. I was at a party and it just happened."

Kori rose from her seat, glaring down at Dick. She clenched her hands into fist, and before Dick could see it coming, she slugged him in the cheek.

Dick put a hand on his cheek and glared at her. He knew she was angry but was that really necessary? "What the hell, Kori?! What was that for?!"

"That was for screwing with my emotions! How _dare_ you show up to my doorstep drunk? _Drunk_! After all the crap that happened last year you go and pull a stunt like this!"

"Kori, just hear me out--"

"No! No, you hear me out," Kori cried, forcing back tears. "I am not a tennis ball, Dick! I can't keep going back and forth with you, I can't! It hurts to much... I thought... I thought I could work things out with you, but after this I don't even know if I should even bother."

Dick eyes her with a worried expression, eyes wide. He turned to face her fully, grabbing her hand in his. "I know I messed up big time, Kori, but please, _please_ don't... Don't do this."

Kori lowered her gaze. "I think we made a mistake, you and I. Maybe... maybe we weren't meant to be in a relationship--"

"No! No," Dick shook his head, he didn't want things to end up this way. He cupped Kori's face in his hands, his forehead against hers. "Kori, listen to me, I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. I'm _so _sorry. I love you."

Kori closed her eyes, trying to block him out. She was vulnerable against Dick. If he kept this up she would crumple completely. "Dick, please stop. This relationship we have... I don't think it's working--"

"We'll make it work."

Kori sighed. She could feel the tears prick at her eyes. "Listen--"

"No," Dick removed his hands from her face to her shoulders, giving her a small shake. "It's your turn to listen. I know this isn't what you really want. I know you love me, I know you do. We can make this work. We can!"

Kori shook her head at him, trying to ignore him and his words. She was trying to deny her own feelings as well. Dick noticed this and frowned. He could tell she was trying to block him out. He couldn't let her do that. He needed to find a way to break through to her, a way to get her to listen. Dick needed Kori in his life, he couldn't afford to lose her, he loved her.

And so he attempted to kiss her in hopes of making her understand. He wanted her to understand that there was still a chance for them, that their relationship still had potential. His plan however didn't work at first try. Kori quickly turned her head away from him, she even managed to pull away.

Dick saw her trying to move away and he quickly grabbed her. She struggled against him, and he her, and in the process they fell on top of her bed. Somehow Dick managed to wind up above her and he used this to his advantage. Somewhere in between their struggle and him landing above her, Kori lowered her guard, giving Dick the opportunity to duck his head and kiss her lips. To his surprise and enjoyment she kissed him back.

The kiss was hard, frantic, and long. It had been so long since the last time their lips met. Not only were they making up for lost time, but in between kisses they muttered apologies and words of comfort to each other. They managed to forgive each other, and after their lips were swollen and bruised, they held each other. Dick's arms were wrapped securely around Kori, he was holding her as tightly as possible, smothering her into his body. He felt like never letting go. Kori snuggled into him, her legs intertwined with his.

For awhile, they snuggled in silence, sneaking kissed here and there. Kori, however, broke that silence. Despite them making up, there was still more that needed to be said, much they needed to discuss.

"In order for this to work," she began softly. "Some things need to change."

"I'll do whatever I have to in order for us to work out," Dick murmured, kissing the top of her head and stroking her arm. "I want us to work out, Kori, more than you know. I need you."

"I had a talk with my mom, and she said that I need to be willing to accept both the good and the bad. I'm willing to do that, but are you? Can you accept that Xavier is apart of my life?"

Dick frowned and pulled Kori to him even tighter. "I don't trust him... But I trust you. Completely. So I'll learn to deal."

Kori buried her face into Dick's chest. "We really came close to ending it all..."

"To close," Dick added. "And if we would have ended it would have been my fault... all because I overreacted. Next time I'll try not to overreact and think things through."

Kori nodded into his chest, her eyes closing. "I love you."

"I love you too."

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO jcyz, TeenTitansFreak Fan, cookiesruletheworld, Because Love is WAY Over-rated, BerryDrops, ravencherithgirl, TerraBB4Eva, Daniella, V I v a V e n d o l i u s, xxScriblezxx, StarReader86, Trimacle, featherpen13, Affinitive, clarkLover1, Ace.04, Star 4 Robin, Loy, Keirii, tennisgal456, Agent of the Divine One, Alice in Wonderland, cookiegurl15, BeastgirlRaven, vivacobra, Mysteree101, NegativeCloud, noneya, ella thompson, Evie, Hexanna, AND lost in Neverland FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS. I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER!**

**I AM SUPER, DUPER, SORRY TO EVERYONE THAT IT TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE! I NEED TO TRY HARDER AT BALANCING LIFE, SCHOOL AND FANFICTION. I HOPE YOU CAN ALL FORGIVE ME.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: IT'S TIME FOR VIC TO GET BACK ON THE DATING HORSE, AND GAR'S GOING TO HELP HIM DO IT.**

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	35. Exercise, dating, action

Several students in Mr. Mod's class had already gone to sleep at the start of Terra, Raven, and Gar's presentation on the Great Depression. Those who had not fallen asleep were either listening, goofing off, or slowly falling asleep themselves. Despite the lack of attention and respect in the room, Terra, Gar, and Raven carried on with their presentation, not for a single moment did they show a sign of digression.

Mr. Mod listened to them intently, genuinely surprised at how well their presentation was coming along. He didn't expect them to prevail with flying colors. It surprised him how Gar, who was normally a slacker, spoke loudly and clearly while reading from the report his group wrote. He was also surprised at how well organized their slide show was. Terra, who stood behind the computer dictating the slide show, was in perfect sync with Gar. The slides presented always matched up with what he was saying. And then there was Raven who would cut in every now and then to present a model they created. There was three models: one that showed the life before the Great Depression, during, and after.

Gar felt a wave of relief wash over him as he neared the end of their report. "And so, the Great Depression did not end until after the country entered World War two. The increase in production of war materials provided jobs, and the unemployment rate decreased to about one percent in 1944."

Terra clicked the key that made the slide show switch frames. A picture of the American flag appeared along with the words _'the end'_. Raven flicked on the lights and Terra turned the power point off. Both girls then joined Gar and stood before the class. Several students clapped for them, including their friends. Kori clapped the loudest. Raven, Gar, and Terra were shocked to see that Mr. Mod was amongst those who clapped.

"Well done my duckies, well done," he said, grinning ear to ear. "And here I thought you three weren't learning a thing!"

Terra, Gar, and Raven glanced at each other. They weren't sure if that was a compliment or not.

"That power point of yours was spot on. Excellent work."

Terra eyed Raven and smirked at this.

"I also enjoyed those models you had. Outstanding work."

Raven smirked at Terra.

"And that report," Mr. Mod nodded his head, very pleased with his students. "You knocked my socks off! Good job."

Gar smiled, feeling proud.

"This project of yours is worthy of an A plus. Congratulations."

"Wait a minute, you're serious," Gar couldn't believe his ears. He couldn't remember the last time he got an A plus. He couldn't even recall ever having an A plus. "You're not pulling my chain are you? We really get an A plus?"

Mr. Mod nodded.

"Hot damn! Woo hoo," Gar cheered, wrapping Terra in a bear hug. "We got an A plus. _I_ got an A plus! I rule! Go me!"

"I suggest you sit that rear of yours down Logan and zip it," Mr. Mod said coldly, scowling. "Unless you want me to take away that A plus for behavior."

Gar immediately clammed up. He didn't want to put his A plus in jeopardy. "Sorry sir," he murmured softly, heading towards his seat. Before he sat, he turned towards Raven. He raised a hand. "High five on a job well done?"

Raven eyed him. Under normal circumstances she would reject his offer at a high five and leave him hanging, but she was in a good mood today so she raised her hand and slapped his. Gar deserved a high five after all the work he put into the project. Not only did he get her and Terra to get along, but he also helped her with the models and Terra with the power point. And even though writing essays isn't something he's good at, he helped with that too.

Raven sat in her seat and stole a glance at Gar. She had to admit, he was maturing a little everyday.

"Alright, who's willing to be my next victims?" asked Mr. Mod, grinning evilly.

At the sight of his vicious smile students immediately ducked their heads and looked the other way.

"No takers? Well then, I'll just have to decide then. Let's see," Mr. Mod scanned his students with a hawk eye. He was looking for the weakest link. His eyes settled on Wally who grew exceedingly nervous under his stare. He smirked, delighted at having picked out a jittery one. "Wally and Alain, I'd like to hear your report on World War two."

Neither Alain or Wally made an attempt to move from their seats.

Mr. Mod rose a brow. "Is something wrong boys?"

Alain cleared his throat. "Uh, well... You see, sir, it's like this--"

"We didn't finish!" Wally cried out, unable to handle the pressure.

"Didn't finish," Mr. Mod repeated, turning his eyes to Alain. "Is this true?"

Alain nodded, feeling disappointed in himself. He knew he shouldn't have listened to Wally and goofed off. That one day of goofing off turned to two days, then three and then four, until finally he forgot about the project completely.

"If it helps we have a short report." Alain said as he rose from his seat and handed a few papers to Mr. Mod.

Mr. Mod took the papers and read them over quickly, shaking his head. "Only two pages. And it's not even typed! It's a shame to because this paper had great potential. If only had you actually completed it... Oh well! You two get an F."

"An F!"

"Dude, that's totally unfair!"

"I decide what's fair and what's not fair," Mr. Mod scolded. Wally grumbled and Alain buried his head in his arms. He ignored the two upset teens and turned his attention back to the class. "Okay, next up is Cindy and Mandy on the Cold War. Let's go girls, we don't have all day."

TT

Vic's grin widened as his thumbs tapped against the buttons of his hand held game. A few minutes later he passed through the current level he was playing. Vic pumped his fist. "Aw yes! Finally! Woo hoo!" Vic spun around to face Gar, ready to rub his victory in his nose. "Hey, grass-stain, guess... what..." his sentence fell flat on his tongue as he drunk in the sight before him.

Terra and Gar were in a passionate lip lock on the couch.

Terra had settled herself on Gar's lap while one of his hands rubbed her thigh, and the other her back. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she played with his hair.

Vic rolled his eyes, peeved at the sight.

Vic was delighted that Gar had managed to get a girlfriend, one that he truly cared for and cared for him back. He was happy to see Gar had finally moved on from the Raven incident, that he managed to build a pleasant relationship for himself. He was proud of his friend, he genuinely was, but at the same time he couldn't help but be a bit jealous.

Back in the day it had been _him _in passionate lip locks, it had been _him _with the cute girl on his lap. He was the one who had gone on dates, entertained a lass, and was romantically linked.

When he was with Karen she used to sit on his lap. They would be in either his house or her house watching a movie. She would sit on his lap and his arms would be on her waist. Sometimes when he was grounded he would sneak off just to see her.

When he was with Sara they would spend hours together. She would often leave him with a good hickey or two, and she often enjoyed it when he let his hands roam freely.

Those were the good old days.

But now it was Gar who was going on dates, entertaining a girl, and romantically linked. He was the one with a girlfriend, watching movies while she nuzzled on his lap. He was the one sneaking out. He was the one who got to roam his hands around and sport a hickey; blushing when his friends teased him later on.

Vic looked down at the game in his hands and glared. It wasn't fair. Everyone had someone but him. He was lonely, so lonely that he was reduced to playing hand held video games during his leisure time. And to make matters worse he had to listen to the love birds smooching on the couch.

Well, not for long.

Taking out a small ball he had gotten from a quarter machine, Vic took aim and flicked the small item at Gar's head.

Gar tore his lips from Terra and rubbed his head. "Ow! Something just hit me."

Vic whistled innocently and clicked the buttons to his game, acting as nonchalant as possible.

Terra picked up a small blue ball with white swirls on it. "Where'd this come from?"

"It's not mine."

The tune of Terra's cell phone filled Gar's basement.

Terra stood up abruptly and grabbed her things. "I gotta go!" she quickly headed for the stairs.

"Don't you think you should check that?" Gar asked, referring to Terra's unanswered cell.

"No need, I already know who it is, and I already know what it's about. I gotta get my butt home or else," Terra blew a kiss at Gar. "Smell ya later!"

Gar caught the kiss, smiling. "Later, babe!"

Vic rolled his eyes.

Gar leaned against the couch and turned his eyes towards the ceiling, sighing in content. "Isn't she great?'

"You two make me wanna barf."

Gar turned his attention towards Vic and grinned. "What, you aren't jealous, are you?"

Vic scoffed, crossing his arms. "No. It's just gross that you two were making out."

Gar leaned against the arm of the couch, his grin widening. "Aw, you are jealous."

Vic narrowed his eyes. "Shut it grass stain or I'll show Terra the video of you tap dancing in fifth grade."

Gar drew back, mortified. "You wouldn't..."

"Try me."

Gar crossed his arms, scowling. "Fine, but you're only pist because you don't have anyone to make out with."

"Fuck you." Vic snapped, glaring at his companion.

"Come on man, it's nothing to be upset about. About two months ago I was single, too."

Vic's scowl increased in fierceness.

Gar ignored Vic's expression. "You're not pist about me making out with Terra. It's something else. Admit it."

Vic sighed, defeated. "Okay... maybe I'm feeling just a bit lonely these days. I mean, I haven't been on a date since that whole thing with Sara..."

"Dude, I know how you feel. Believe me, I do," Gar smiled softly. "But you have nowhere else to go but up. Just hang in there and I'm sure you'll get a girl."

"I wish I had your optimism, Gar," Vic replied, dejected. He rose from his seat and grabbed his things. "But let's face it, I don't see myself getting back on the dating horse anytime soon."

Gar watched his friend go while contemplating. Ever since Karen and Sara Vic just hasn't been the same. What he needed now was something joyous to lift his spirits, or rather, someone.

Gar placed his fingertips together, his smile widening into a Grinch like smile. He had a plan.

TT

Elliot's stomach rumbled loudly and he eyed the powdered doughnuts on the counter. He licked his lips hungrily, his eyes widening and the rumble in his stomach felt like an earthquake.

He was _so _hungry.

Ever since Roy became his mentor he had been on a diet. A dreadful diet that didn't include anything with sugar, which meant all of his favorite snacks had been cut out of his life.

Elliot bit his lip. He felt as if the doughnuts were calling out to him.

He had been exercising with Roy nonstop today. He deserved at least one doughnut. If he acted quickly perhaps he could sneak one without Roy finding out.

Tip-toeing his way to the counter, Elliot looked behind his shoulder. No one in sight. He grinned and rubbed his hands together before opening the box. He snaked a doughnut out of the box and licked his lips. Brining the tasty snack to his lips he readied himself to take a bite...

"Elliot!"

Elliot jumped in shock, the doughnut slipping from his fingers and back into the box. He slowly turned around and what he saw was a scowling Roy.

"What do you think you're doing?" Roy asked angrily, crossing his arms.

"Well I... I... uh...," Elliot stammered. He was caught red handed and now he was stuck. "I'm sorry."

"You were cheating on your diet! Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have given you that break," Roy scolded. "I thought you were committed to change. I thought you wanted to get in shape so we could get you a girlfriend."

"I do, I do! I just wanted a snack."

"You want a snack," Roy grabbed the fruit bowl and shoved it into Elliot's hands. "Eat some damn fruit!"

"Uh... Am I interrupting something?" Jade asked softly, hesitantly stepping into the kitchen.

"It's nothing honey," Roy assured her. He glared at Elliot. "I just need to give Elliot a lesson on healthy food. But before I do that, I think he needs to do more push-ups."

Elliot frowned, his eyes on the floor.

"Well," Roy motioned towards the exit. "Those push-ups won't do themselves.

Elliot sighed sadly and made his way to the door. Before he left Roy snagged a banana from the fruit bowl.

Jade rose a brow at Roy. "Do you have to be so hard on him?"

"I'm trying to help him, Jade. Sometimes when you want to help people you have to give them tough love," Roy tossed the banana in his hands. "You should know that better than anyone after all the crap I pulled last year."

Jade pulled out a doughnut and took a bite, understanding Roy's reasoning. "Still, I'm curious. I thought you were only going to help him in exchange for the project. You already got a B, so why is he still coming over?"

"Because I have yet to fulfill my obligation to him. I need to get him in shape and looking good before I take him girl hunting."

"Okay, but try and be a bit nicer to the guy. He's trying."

"Okay, I promise. Now," Roy stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her stomach. "How are you and our bundle of joy doing?"

"Well I'm extremely hungry," Jade patted her stomach. "And this one won't stop kicking me."

"Probably gets that from you," Roy smiled and pecked Jade's lips. He leaned down and gave her stomach a peck, too. "Oh, here." He handed her the banana. "Eat this. It's good for you and the baby."

Roy then left the kitchen, leaving Jade holding a banana in one hand and a doughnut in the other. Jade weighed the subsistence, deciding which one she would rather eat.

"What's that baby," Jade asked her stomach. "You would rather eat the doughnut." Jade shrugged and took a bite of the doughnut. "If you say so!"

TT

Sitting in the audience both Troy and Kelly looked upon the stage. Two of their students walked off and two new students took their place. One of the students was a teenage girl with short blonde hair and green eyes. Next to the girl stood Gar, who currently was clenching and unclenching his hands out of nerves.

"Alright, Annie and Gar, I want you to act out the scene just like I taught you," Kelly said, clipboard in hand. "Just relax and let the words flow. And remember to have fun."

Annie and Gar nodded and took their positions. They nodded at each other and went into a different state of mind, taking on the personalities of the characters they were portraying. Annie was taking on the role of Maxine, a girl with a wild streak. Gar was playing Ben, a boy she was courting who was an introvert. The scene they were displaying was when Maxine finally managed to break Ben out of his shell.

Gar took a deep breath, as did Annie.

"Action." Kelly said.

Springing forth onto the stage, Gar ran forward. "Woo hoo!"

Annie came behind and paused to catch her breath, resting her hands on her knees. She giggled, standing up straight and pushing her bangs away from her face. "Well... it looks like someone has found someone mojo."

Gar spun around with open arms and a wide smile on his face. "That party was incredible! I've never felt so alive!"

"If you ask me it was seriously lacking in the fun department. The dancing was cool but the music reeked."

"Are you mad woman? That party was... it was..."

"Awesome?"

"Yes! That's the word. It was awesome."

Annie bumped shoulders with Gar. "Well I'm glad you enjoyed your first party."

"Cut!" Troy yelled.

Kelly looked at her partner. "Why did you yell cut? They were performing perfectly."

"I'm just not buying this," Troy looked at the stage. "Gar, when you're on stage I want you to sell it to me. Ben is finally letting go for the first time. I really want to feel how ecstatic he is. When you get home I want you to practice your lines some more."

Gar nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Now let's get the next pair up. Ariel and Jimmy, let's see what you got."

Annie and Gar left the stage while the next pair took their places. Once he was backstage Gar took a seat on one of the folding chairs. He buried his head into his knees and breathed deeply. The after effects of being on stage was thrilling, but Troy's comment had him worried. If he didn't shape up he would lose the role of Ben.

Someone patted his back.

Gar looked up and saw Allison, a fellow participant of his acting classes. Ever since he had enrolled in the classes, Allison had always been someone he could talk to. Not only was she kind, but she was beautiful, too. Allison was a tall and slim girl with bright green eyes and long brunette hair. She was a brilliant actress as well as a straight A student from Jump City Private School.

"Hey, Allison," Gar greeted. "What's up?"

"I should be the one asking you that," Allison took a seat besides Gar. "You didn't seem all that accepting of Troy's advice."

"I really thought I nailed my part."

"You did really good, Gar, you should be proud. And don't take Troy's advice as a negative. He's only trying to help you better yourself."

"That's true... On a bright side this means that Terra can help me rehearse." Gar grinned at the thought. Terra was an excellent partner to go over lines with.

"Ah, I'm so jealous of you. I haven't been on a date in, like, six months. It feels like forever."

Gar's ears perked up at her statement and he looked at her slyly. "If you don't mind me asking, why is that?"

"Oh, I don't know...," Allison leaned back into her seat. "I guess it's because the boys at my school are real snobbish."

Gar moved his seat so they were face to face. "Go on."

"It's not that they aren't nice, it's just that they aren't my type."

"So what is your type?"

"Oh, you know, good guys. Someone strong and handsome and smart. Someone who can make me laugh..." Allison trailed off.

"Well then you're in luck, because it just so happens that I have a single friend who is all those things and more."

"Really," Allison rose a brow. "What's your friend's name?"

"Victor Stone, but we call him Vic."

"Uh-huh. You know, this sounds an awful lot like you're trying to set me up on a date."

Gar grinned. "Well that depends if you're going to say yes."

TT

Elliot fell to his knees, breathing heavily. He was over at Roy's house again doing exercise, only this time he was in the yard doing laps.

"Ugh, I can't do this!" Elliot whined as he collapsed to the ground, rolling over on his back.

"Elliot, get up. I'm not training a quitter." Roy barked.

Elliot sighed. Roy was worse than a drill sergeant.

"Come on, Elliot. Move it, let's go!"

"I can't... run... anymore."

Roy rose a brow. "Is that so, hmm. Well I guess that means you don't want this," Roy pulled out a small notebook from his pocket. "It's my own book on dating tips and pick up lines. I was going to let you have it but... since you don't want it--"

"I want it! I want it!" Elliot responded quickly. A book of such caliber would surely help him along the way.

"Well if you want it you'll have to work for it," Roy said strictly. "Now on your feet."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Now run!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Elliot quickly did as he was told and ran forward.

Roy watched him go and smiled to himself. At first he thought helping Elliot was going to be a burden, but at the current moment he couldn't help but think about how much fun it was bossing someone around. He sighed in content. "It's good to be in charge."

TT

"No."

"C'mon."

"No."

"Please."

"Not uh."

"What do you have to lose?"

"That's a good question. I'll think about it on my way home," Vic said as he headed for the front door. Gar leaped on him and grabbed him in a head lock. "Ow! What the hell, Gar! Let go!"

Gar tightened his grip. He knew he was taking a risk right about now but he didn't care. Sure, Vic was bigger and stronger, but if he could just get him to stay a little longer if would be worth it. "C'mon on dude, it's for your own good!"

Vic managed to grab Gar's arm and yank him off. He then captured him in a head lock of his own. "Dude, I am not going on a blind date!"

"Why not?"

"Because... well...," Vic released Gar and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of a good answer. He snapped his fingers, a thought coming to him. "What if she's ugly?"

"She's not," Gar assured him. "She's real pretty."

"Gar, you think when Terra burps it's the most beautiful sound in the world. I don't even wanna know your definition of pretty. And besides, what if this girl turns out to be, I don't know, crazy or something?"

"Her name is Allison and she's from my acting class. She's cool, trust me on this," Gar crossed his arms. "Now would you stop being a jackass and just go on the date. Once you see her I'm sure you'll like her."

Vic looked at Gar with dull eyes. "Yeah... I doubt that. So I'm just gonna go home now."

Before Gar could grab him, Vic put his hand on the doorknob and pulled the door open. Once he opened the door he stepped out, and upon doing so he bumped into someone; a girl with bright green eyes and brunette hair. Vic could feel his cheeks burning as he took in the sight of her.

She smiled at him and placed a hand on her hip. "You must be Vic," she extended her hand. "I'm Allison. Gar's told me so much about you."

Vic was at a loss for words and nodded dumbly, a smile on his face. "Uh huh."

Gar came into view. "Look, Allison, I'm sorry but Vic doesn't--"

"Want us to be late," Vic said quickly, covering Gar's mouth and pushing him away. "We should get going. Shall we?"

"Oh, okay," Allison waved at Gar. "See you later, Gar."

She walked off with Vic trailing behind her. Vic turned around and gave Gar a thumbs up. Gar returned the gesture and smiled.

TT

At first Vic was wary about going on a blind date, especially one planned by Gar, but he had to admit, he was having a good time with Allison. They had a long conversation on their way to the movie theater, and Vic was surprised to learn they had much in common. Both realized they had an interest in cars as well as sci-fi movies.

After the car ride they both went to see a new horror film playing, and once they were done with the movie they went to a fast food restaurant.

Vic placed his tray of food on the table and sat opposite of Allison. "So...," he began casually, grinning at her. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

She nodded. "Very much so. You?"

"Same."

"You know, this may sound silly, but when Gar told me about a blind date I was worried."

Vic rose a brow, curious. "Really?"

"Yeah. I've never done the blind date thing before," Allison confessed. "I didn't know what to expect. A part of me really didn't want to do it."

"No way. That's how I felt. I was ready to bail before you showed up."

Allison found herself chuckling along with Vic at the confessions. However, she stopped and looked at him curiously. "Wait a minute, if you were ready to leave, what stopped you?"

Vic caught her gaze and held it. "You did."

Allison blushed, flustered by the seriousness in his voice. "Wow. You sure know how to compliment a girl."

"Allison... would you maybe, you know, if you're not busy... wanna do this again?"

She looked up, grinning a little. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

He smiled back. "Yeah, as a matter of fact I am. So what do you say? Would you like to go out with me again?"

He saw her pause, and for a moment he thought she would say no, but then she smiled at him and leaned in. Before he knew it he was kissing her.

She pulled away from him, smiling. "I would love to go out with you again."

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO Because Love is WAY Over-rated, clarkLover1, BerryDrops, cookiesruletheworld, ravencherithgirl, jcyz, Fan of the toons, Trimacle, Hexanna, Ace.04, Agent of the Divine One, featherpen13, BeastgirlRaven, Blackfire009, TerraBB4Eva, xxScriblezxx, Star 4 Robin, NegativeCloud, cookiegurl15, Keirii, Loy, mythica magic, lost in Neverland, TeenTitansFreakFan, Arwen-Arya-Diana-Rachel, Romancelover1321, tennisgal456, Daniella AND Princess of Markovia FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I'M HOPE EVERYONE IS HAPPY WITH THIS CHAPTER.**

**EXTRA THANKS TO lost in Neverland FOR BEING THE 800TH REVIEWER! AS A REWARD, lost in Neverland, YOU GET TO ASK ME ONE QUESTION ABOUT EITHER THIS STORY, ONE OF THE TWO SEQUELS TO FOLLOW IT, OR When We Were Young IF YOU PREFER. YOU ONLY GET ONE QUESTION SO PICK WISELY.**

**I AM EXTREMELY SORRY THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG. TO PROVE HOW SORRY I AM, AND SINCE IT'S THE HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE WHO REVIEWS THIS CHAPTER GETS TO ASK ME ONE QUESTION. THAT MEANS YOU GET TO ASK ME TWO QUESTIONS, lost in Neverland.**

**OKAY, NOW I KNOW SOME EXCITEMENT MUST BE GOING ON ABOUT THIS, BUT THERE ARE SOME RULES. YOU ONLY GET THIS OPPORTUNITY IF YOU REVIEW ****THIS**** CHAPTER, AND THE OPPORTUNITY WILL END ONCE I UPDATE THE NEXT CHAPTER. ALSO, THE QUESTION HAS TO BE ABOUT EITHER Hanging By A Moment, one of the two sequels that follows HBAM, or When you were Young. AND REMEMBER, EVERYONE, EXCEPT lost in Neverland, GETS TO ASK ME ONE QUESTION, SO CHOSE WISELY.**

**ONCE AGAIN, I'M SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE, AND I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A HAPPY HOLIDAY!**

**NEXT CHAPTER: WALLY VS JENN**

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	36. Wally vs Jenn

It was the start of a whole new week at Jump City High School. The month of February was dwindling down and the students were beginning to get eager about the upcoming spring break that would arrive in April. Plans were already being talked about between friends, but the thought of spring break was the last thing on Wally's mind.

He was about half way through his second period class, and all he could think about was Jenn. She had walked him to his math class this morning, and on the way she had whispered something very naughty in his ear. She wanted him to find a way out of class so he could go meet her on the third floor. Then, once they were together...

A smug smile crossed its way onto Wally's face. He had to get out of here, and fast. The longer he stood here the more impatient Jenn would become, and if that happened she would leave instead of waiting.

Wally glanced to the front of the room where Mr. Blood stood. He was glad that his math teacher was absent today and Mr. Blood was substituting. Mr. Blood was a lot easier to fool.

Clearing his throat, Wally prepared himself for a little acting trick Gar had taught him. Hunching over and clutching his stomach, Wally made a gagging noise.

Mr. Blood paused, eyebrow raising, and the sound of chalk against the blackboard stopped. He turned around and saw one of his students hunched over, groaning in pain. "Mr. West, is there some sort of problem?"

"Uh...," Wally made a gagging noise. "I think I ate to much at breakfast..."

"Did you now," Mr. Blood crossed his arms. Wally was his best runner on the track team, but he was also his most foolish. "Mr. West, I assure you, if this is a prank I'll--"

Wally clenched his eyes shut and held onto his desk, groaning. "Sir, I assure you," he paused to make a gagging sound. "This is _not_ a prank."

Mr. Blood's face softened. If Wally was sick that would mean bad news for the track team. "Alright my boy, go to the nurse's office. She'll have something that will settle you down."

Wally's back was hunched over as he made his way to the door. Once he reached the door he opened it and closed it on his way out. He made sure to keep up his sick act as he walked down the hall, a precaution just in case Mr. Blood decided to poke his head out to check on him. However, once he rounded the corner, he dropped the sick act and straightened up with a smirk on his face.

"That was _too_ easy," he said as he made his way up the stairs. Once he reached the third floor he spotted Jenn down the hall, waiting for him. He smiled once he saw her and swiftly strolled up to her. Upon reaching her, he covered her eyes. "Guess who."

"Wally," she answered immediately, turning around with a smile on her face. She pecked him on the lips. "What took you so long? I was just about ready to leave."

"I'm sorry. I thought it'd be more convincing if I left a little later rather than earlier," Wally grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows. "So... are we still doing this or what?"

"Oh, we're still doing this," she took his hand and pulled him along. "Come on."

She pulled him down the hall and to the janitor's closet. Once they reached the door, she began to fiddle with the knob with a bobby pin. While she did this, Wally began to pull at the collar of his shirt.

"Um... are you sure we should be doing this? I mean, there are other places we can--"

"Come on, Wally, don't wimp out on me now. You were fine with the idea this morning."

"I know, and I still am, but wouldn't it be better if we went to one of our regular spots?"

"This new magazine I've been reading says it's good for couples to try new and exciting things," Jenn pushed the door open and turned towards Wally, a satisfied smirk on her face. "Come on, Wally, take a walk with me on the wild side."

The way her voice sounded was more addicting than a siren's song, and Wally couldn't help but crumple. He grinned at her, and once he did that Jenn knew she had convinced him. Pulling him into the janitor's closet with her, she shut the door behind them. Wally found himself scanning the closet with his eyes. The two side walls had shelves littered with different types of cleaning utensils, and hanging above him was a light, one that he turned on upon entering. The space in the closet was limited, but surprisingly enough it didn't bother him much.

"You know, for a janitor's closet this isn't so--"

His sentence was cut short when Jenn shoved her lips upon his in a scorching kiss. Wally was caught off guard and stumbled backwards, his back hitting the bare wall behind him. His mouth opened to make a noise of complaint, but he never got the chance to due to Jenn pushing her tongue within his mouth. One of her hands pulled at his hair while the other worked its way up his shirt. Jenn pushed her body closer to his, making the kiss even more passionate.

They soon pulled away for air.

Wally's chest was heaving as his lungs took in the air, his mind in a daze. "Wow," he breathed out, stunned by the fierceness his girlfriend had just displayed. They had been going out for longer than a year already yet she never ceased to surprise or amaze him. "That was... awesome."

"See, it's good to be naughty every once in awhile," Jenn said before lifting up his shirt and kissing his belly, her lips working their way up to his chest.

"Oh, I very much agree with you on that," Wally bit his lip when he felt her tongue, suppressing a groan. He felt like the luckiest person in the world right now. "Uh... not that I'm not enjoying this, because I am, a _lot_, but when do I get a chance to pleasure you?"

Jenn pulled away, happy that he was willing to partake. She leaned against him, a playful smile on her face. "I'm all yours."

In response to her statement he flipped them, so her back was the one pushed against the wall. His lips attacked her neck with heated kisses as he pulled her body closer to him. One of his hands ran over her purple and black striped stocking and up her leg. His hand ventured up her skirt where he cupped her buttocks. This made her gasp, and once she did he pushed his lips against her's.

They were in the midst of their passionate make out when the door creaked open.

Wally and Jenn froze in horror when the janitor stepped in.

The janitor looked at them with a dull expression, not at all surprised to see two teenagers in a compromising position. He sighed in annoyance. "Dammit, not again," he rolled his eyes and pushed the door fully open. "Alright you two, come with me."

TT

Wally and Jenn stepped out of the principal's office, each holding a blue slip in hand. After getting caught by the janitor, they had been sent straight to the principal's office. After learning of their actions, Mr. Wilson had given them a long lecture, not at all pleased by their behavior in his school. He gave them each a long sentence of detention. To top it all off he called their parents.

Glancing at Wally, Jenn could tell he was upset. The fact that she was given detention didn't bother her that much. Back in middle school, her and Jade had been quite the troublemakers and were given detention often. Being a bad girl she was used to trouble, however, Wally wasn't. Though he could be a pest at times, Wally was a good boy, so getting in trouble didn't sit well with him.

Jenn felt guilty and went to comfort him. "Wally, I am so sorry. I only wanted us to have a little fun is all. I never meant for us to get in trouble."

"Well it's a little to late to say I'm sorry, Jenn," Wally snapped, waving the detention slip he had in hand at her. "Because of you my uncle will probably ground me."

"I know, and I really am sorry."

"Well you should be, considering how this is all your fault."

Jenn blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"None of this would have happened if it wasn't for your stupid idea."

Jenn narrowed her eyes at him. "As I recall you were enjoying my 'stupid idea'."

"That's besides the point," Wally responded, blushing as he recalled the pleasure she bestowed him. He shook his head, remembering that he was angry at her. He glared and pointed a finger at her. "You need to learn to control yourself!"

"Me? If anyone needs to control themself it's you!" Jenn stated, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "Your hands were all over me. If anyone's to blame, it's you."

"Wait just a minute, if I remember correctly you were the one that pulled _me_ into the closet, not the other way around. You're the one who can't keep your hands to yourself."

"Is that so, huh?" Jenn stepped closer to Wally, her hands clenched and a scowl on her face.

Wally matched her scowl with one of his one. "Yeah!"

"Well fine! If that's the way you feel then let's make a bet."

Wally rose a brow. "What kind of bet?"

"I say you're the one who can't control himself around me, and to prove this I say we go on a sex strike," Jenn smirked when she saw Wally flinch. "If you come crawling to me then I win, meaning I'm right."

Wally glared at her. He wasn't going to back down from a challenge. "Fine, but if you come crawling to me then I win. Meaning I'll be right, and you'll be wrong."

Jenn scoffed. "As if that's gonna happen. You'll give in first."

"We'll see about that," Wally extended his hand. "So are we betting or what?"

"Oh, we're betting," Jenn gripped his hand and shook it. "And I'm gonna win."

TT

"So you and Wally aren't going to have sex until one of you wins this bet?" Jade asked, slightly puzzled after what her friend just told her.

Jenn, Kori, Raven, Karen, Toni, and Terra had all decided to pay Jade a visit. The small group of girls were in Jade's room sharing pizza and partaking in conversation. When the conversation switched over to Jenn, the pink haired girl told them of her current situation with Wally. Needless to say, her friends were both puzzled and shocked by the news.

"Yup," Jenn answered coolly. She took another slice of pizza and bit into it. "He is _so _going down."

"What exactly is this supposed to prove?" Raven inquired. The whole thing sounded absurd to her.

"It's supposed to prove that I'm right, and that I have more willpower than him."

"You're doing this to torture him, aren't you?" Terra asked, amused.

"No...," Jenn paused to think. "Okay, maybe a little, but that's besides the point! I need to win this bet."

"But what if this backfires and he wins?" Karen asked before taking a sip of her soda.

"He's not gonna win, because I'm going to seduce him."

"But won't that be cheating?" Kori asked.

"It's not cheating if I use my natural talents."

"Well I say you go for it," Toni said, tapping her soda can against Jenn's in a small form of a toast. "More power to you."

Raven rolled her eyes. "I still say this whole thing is pointless."

TT

Three days had past since Wally and Jenn made their bet, and neither of them were willing to admit defeat. Despite Jenn's attempts to seduce Wally into losing the bet, the two were evenly matched. Whenever Jenn did something that would make Wally remotely aroused, he would back away from her. The bet was going no where, and despite the two being on friendly terms, it was frustrating them both.

Which is exactly why Wally was hanging out in Gar's basement playing Monopoly. He needed to unwind, and playing games helped him accomplish that.

Wally, Gar, Vic, Karen, Kori, and Dick sat in a circle, the Monopoly board placed in the middle of them. While they played their game, Raven sat on the sidelines, a book in hand. It was Gar's turn to roll, so he took the dice in hand and shook his fist. When he rolled the dice he got a seven, sending him straight to jail.

"Aw, I hate this game," Gar crossed his arms, frustrated. "Can't we play Uno or something?"

"Man, every time you start to lose this game you want to quit," Vic pointed out. "Stop complaining and take your defeat like a man."

Gar merely stuck his tongue out at his larger friend.

"Sore loser," Karen said in a cough.

"Hey, I heard that."

It was at that moment they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. The footsteps stopped, and Jenn stepped into view.

"Hey guys," she greeted. "What's up?"

"Hey, Jenn," Wally muttered absently, sparing a glance at her. It was quick and he went back to his game. However, he paused, his body freezing up. Slowly, he lifted his head to look at Jenn again, this time, his eyes stayed on her. His eyes widened in shock and he jumped out of his seat, taking a few steps back and pointing at Jenn as if she were on fire. "You're not wearing a bra!"

The others paused immediately and looked over at Wally curiously. Jenn could only grin. She was hoping he would notice. Surely now he would want to give up on the bet.

"Um... how can you tell that she's not wearing a bra?"

"Yeah dude, all you did was look at her."

"I've been in contact with her bras before, I know if she's wearing one or not," Wally narrowed his eyes at Jenn and he stomped his foot. "No fair, you're playing dirty!"

"Why, Wally, I have no idea what you mean," Jenn replied innocently, smirking. "I merely forgot to put one on today. No big deal."

Wally looked at her suspiciously, but sat back down in his seat. He couldn't let Jenn bother him, that's what she wanted. Wally focused his attention on the game before him. Maybe if he focused on the game Jenn's presence wouldn't bother him so much...

About six minutes into the game, Wally found himself bothered by Jenn's presence.

Everything she did stole his attention away, and it was driving him insane. What bothered him the most was when she stretched. Her arms would reach upwards, and her back would arch, her chest pushing forward. No one else seemed to notice this, but Wally did.

His eyes landed on Jenn again, and she stretched once more. Wally instantly cracked.

"_Ugh_, I can't take it anymore!" Wally shouted abruptly, standing up and running up the stairs, leaving the basement.

Jenn chuckled and stood up as well. Wally was breaking, a little more and he would be down for the count. "I'll see you guys later," she ran up the stairs, hoping to catch up with Wally and bother him some more. "Wait up, Wally!"

Once the couple left, the basement was left in silence.

Raven decided to break the silence. "That was weird."

"Agreed," Kori said. She turned her head to the side and caught sight of Dick staring at her breast. "Dick, I'm wearing a bra. You can stop staring at my chest."

"Nah, I'm good," Dick said, continuing to stare. Vic slapped the back of his head and he turned his eyes away. "Ow! Alright, I'll stop looking."

TT

The bet was beginning to take a toll on Wally come Saturday. Not only did he miss Jenn's touch, but he craved it as well. He wanted nothing more than to give into desire and grab her, but doing so would mean losing the bet. He didn't want to lose, but he didn't want to continue either. What he needed was some advice.

Which is exactly why Wally found himself outside Roy's door.

Roy, in Wally's opinion, was an expert when it came to girls. If anyone could help him with his problem, it was Roy.

Wally rang the door bell and waited patiently for an answer. He didn't have to wait long. Ollie answered the door soon after he rang the bell.

"Wally, hello," Ollie stepped to the side. "Come in."

"Thanks," Wally stepped inside. "Is Roy here?"

"He's out in the yard. Want me to get him for you?"

"Nah, I'll go to him. Thanks though."

"Okay then, if you need anything just help yourself."

"Thanks, Ollie," Wally said to the retreating adult. He made his way to the yard, and just like Ollie said, Roy was there. His friend was shooting arrows, a hobby that he had gained last year. "Yo, arrow head! What's up?"

Roy lowered his bow and arrow and turned around. He was surprised to see Wally. "Wally, what are you doing here?"

"I need help," Wally confessed. "Remember that bet Jenn and I made? Well, it's starting to drive me nuts!"

Roy sighed and sat down on the grass. This might take awhile. "Okay, sit down and tell me all about it."

Wally did as he was told and told Roy his dilemma. "Jenn's been driving me nuts lately. She's doing all sorts of things to get me aroused."

"Like what?"

"Well, she hasn't been wearing a bra for starters. And when we talk on the phone she keeps saying these things...," Wally sighed. "I can't take much more of this. I think it's time I give up."

"Give up? You can't give up! What are you, stupid?!"

"But--"

"Wally, this is more about willpower. This is about control. If you let Jenn win she could use sex as a weapon against you in the future."

"But what am I supposed to do? We haven't done anything fun or romantic in days. I can't stand it!"

"Here's what you do, Wally," Roy began. "You beat her at her own game."

Wally rose a brow in confusion. "How do I do that?"

"You seduce her," Roy answered. "I'm guessing this bet is bothering her more than she's letting on. Just play dirty and she'll crack."

"Play dirty," Wally nodded in understanding. "I'm going over to her house today, I'll have the perfect opportunity to seduce her."

"Now you're thinking! Just remember what I told you and you'll win this bet for sure."

TT

"I can't take it anymore!" Jenn vented on the phone to Jade, pacing back and forth in frustration. "Wally still hasn't given up! I thought he would have by now."

_"Easy, Jenn,"_ said Jade. _"Take a breath and calm down."_

Jenn did as she was told and sat at the edge of her bed. The bet she had going on with Wally was frustrating her to the point of near insanity. She missed Wally's touch and the feel of him against her skin. When she made the bet she thought Wally would give up in a day or so, she never expected him to last this long.

_"Maybe it's best if you call this whole thing off,"_ suggested Jade.

"I can't do that, Jade, not after everything I did and said. I'll look pathetic."

_"Well then... I wish you the best of luck."_

"Thanks," Jenn looked at her alarm clock sitting on her dresser. Any minute now and Wally would show up for their movie night. "I'll call you later, okay. Wally should be here any minute."

_"Okay. Bye."_

"Bye," Jenn clicked her phone shut and walked over to her body length mirror. She was wearing a brand new outfit she had gotten from the mall in hopes of ending this bet once and for all. Jenn smirked at her appearance. "There's no way Wally can resist me now."

The door bell rang and Jenn knew who it was. She went to go answer it. Opening the door, she found Wally on the other side, a single rose in hand. She smiled at him, loving how thoughtful he was.

"Hey, Wally, come on it," Jenn turned to venture inside, expecting Wally to follow. When he didn't, she turned back around. "Wally?"

Wally was frozen in place, his eyes roaming over Jenn's body. Judging by the outfit she was wearing, Jenn was playing hardball. Not that he was complaining, he absolutely adored the way her white tube top clung to her upper body. And the green mini skirt she was wearing showed off her long legs. He couldn't help but stare and enjoy the view, Jenn was never this revealing.

"Like what you see, Wally?" Jenn asked, giggling. At this rate Wally would lose the bet in not time.

Wally shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He had to be strong if he wanted to win this bet. "Uh... that's a nice outfit. Is it new?"

Jenn nodded as she sat on the couch, crossing her legs. "I brought it just for this occasion."

"I bet you did," Wally said before mumbling under his breath about how sneaky and attractive Jenn was. He looked down at the rose in his hand. "I, uh, got this for you." He sat down besides her and handed her the rose. "Here."

"Thanks," Jenn took the rose and placed it in the vase on the coffee table. "So, what movie should we watch?"

Wally placed an arm around Jenn's shoulder and pulled her closer to him. She wasn't the only one with tricks. "Whatever's cool with you is fine with me."

Jenn went stiff as she inhaled Wally's musk. "Uh...," she pulled away quickly, recalling that the bet was still on. "I'm gonna, um... yeah."

She made to move, but Wally took her hand, hindering her.

"Is something wrong? You look a little nervous," Wally smiled smugly.

Jenn patted his hand, chuckling. "Oh no, I'm fine. Just hungry. I got some cheese cake, do you want any?"

Wally could never say no to food. "Sure."

"Okay then, I'll just go get it," Jenn said, making her way to the kitchen, cursing Wally and his charming ways. She was even more determined to win the bet now. Taking the cheese cake off the counter, she made sure to grab two forks before making her way back to the living room. "Here we go."

"This looks delicious," Wally said, taking a bite.

"It is," Jenn replied, taking a bite, too. She smiled in content, moaning. She threw her head back and moaned once more, knowing this would make Wally fuss.

Wally dropped his fork, staring at her with wide eyes and his mouth agape. How was it that one girl could make him feel so crazy? "Okay, you know what, how about we just watch a movie?"

Jenn smiled smugly at him. "I think that can be arranged."

They decided to watch Wicked Scary, and while the movie was playing, Wally and Jenn kept trying to seduce each other. In the midst of all their attempts, they wound up sharing a blanket together, snuggled into each other sides. This increased the friction between the two, and both were having inner quarrels.

Although Wally was trying to stay strong, he was slowly breaking. He wanted to hold Jenn close and kiss her. He wanted to tangle his fingers in her hair. But most of all, he wanted this stupid bet to be over and done with.

Jenn felt the same way he did. At first she thought the bet was fun, but now she regretted making it in the first place. She never meant for it to get this far, she just wanted Wally to appreciate her a little more and the things they did together. But not being able to share a union with him was driving her crazy.

Jenn sighed, ready to call a quits. "Wally, I--"

"I give up!" Wally shouted abruptly.

Her eyes went wide. "What?"

"Look, Jenn," he took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes. "Ever since this bet started I've been miserable, and I can't take it anymore. So, I give up. You win."

"Oh thank God," Jenn said in relief. "I'm so happy to hear you say that."

"You are?" Wally rose a brow in confusion.

"Yes, because now this stupid bet in finally over, and I can finally do this," she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips. Pulling away, a mischievous smile came to her lips. "Wanna take this to the bedroom?"

"Oh yes!" he answered quickly. She smiled and made her way to the bedroom with Wally chasing after her.

Later...

Jenn cuddled into Wally's side, sighing in content. "I've missed this."

"So have I," Wally kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer. "Let's never make a stupid bet like that again."

"Agreed... just as long as you remember one thing."

"What's that?"

"You may wear the pants, but I control the zipper."

"That's perfectly fine with me."

TT

It was a Sunday afternoon, and Gar had invited the guys over to his basement. Gar, Dick, Alain, and Vic sat in a circle playing cards. Every now and then one of them would propose an idea on how to spend spring break. The sooner they thought of an idea, the sooner they could get the all clear from their parents.

Gar paused. "I got it! We could go to Disney Land!"

Vic slapped him in the back of the head. "Moron, we're not going to Disney Land."

"Why not? We can take pictures with Mickey Mouse."

"Gar, we're not going to Disney Land," Dick said, ending the discussion. "Hey, how come Roy isn't here? I'm sure he'd be able to think of something."

"He promised to do something with Jade," Alain answered, picking up a new card.

They heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and pretty soon Wally had stepped into their view, a wide smile on his face.

"Hey guys, good news," Wally announced, taking a seat besides Dick. "The bet between Jenn and I is over."

"Really? So who won?"

"Jenn did."

"If Jenn won how come you seem so happy?"

"Because my friends, there are benefits to losing."

Dick scoffed. "That's loser talk."

"Yeah man," Vic began. "You're totally whipped now."

"This just proves that Jenn has you wrapped around her finger," Gar added.

They all began to laugh, and Wally narrowed his eyes, standing up.

"At least I'm getting laid," Wally proclaimed. "Unlike the rest of you! Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with Jenn, and I'd rather not keep her waiting."

With that said, Wally left the basement, leaving the others in stunned silence.

"Wow," Alain broke the silence. "That was a good burn."

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO Hexanna, Ace.04, BerryDrops, jcyz, mythica magic, Agent of the Divine One, xxScriblezxx, featherpen13, Romancelover1321, cookiesruletheworld, ravencherithgirl, clarkLover1, Star 4 Robin, Daniella, tennisgal456, lost in Neverland, NegativeCloud, Princess of Markovia, Because Love is WAY Over-rated, RavenSis, .Spaz-attack101 AND Raven os Alaska FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST! I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

**OKAY, AS OF NOW THE ABILITY TO ASK ME A QUESTION IS OVER TO EVERYONE EXCEPT Ace.04, Romancelover1321, clarkLover1, .Spaz-attack101 AND Raven of Alaska. YOU FIVE REVIEWED AND DIDN'T ASK A QUESTION, SO THE ABILITY TO ASK ME A QUESTION STILL STANDS FOR YOU FIVE.**

**TO Daniella: In response to your question - Jade has one baby, a baby girl, which her and Roy will name Lian.**

**TO lost in Neverland: In response to your first question - Yes, there will be breakups in this story. Karen and Mal break up, Vic and Allison break up, Toni and Alain break up, and in the adult series Roy and Jade are in the process of getting a divorce. At some point in senior year Raven and Gar get together, and they break up, too.**

**In response to your second question - Roy and Jade won't immediately get married after the baby is born, but at some point between senior year and the adult series, they get married.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: ELLIOT'S TRANSFORMATION**

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	37. Elliot's transformation

Today was the day; the day Elliot had sweated and even cried a little over. After several weeks of nonstop exercising and a diet that had pushed him to the near breaking point of insanity, Elliot was finally ready to take his weight.

Roy patted his back. "Ready to see if all your hard work paid off buddy?"

Elliot smiled in determination and nodded. He narrowed his eyes at, what he referred to as, the judgement scale. According to what the scale would read, he would either be exercising nonstop for a couple of more weeks, or Roy would finally let him move onto the next level of his training. Elliot hoped the results would be good. He wasn't sure how much more push-ups he could do.

Releasing a breath of air, Elliot placed a foot upon the scale. He repeated this action and placed his other foot upon the scale...

Silence.

"Hmm...," Roy observed the number on the scale.

Elliot looked at him, slightly nervous. "Well? Come on, Stonecold, don't keep me in the dark. How'd I do?"

Roy smiled a small smile. "You did great."

"Really?" Elliot was stunned. Never before had he ever gone on a quest to lose weight and received a 'great'. All the attempts he made in the past had always ended in failure. To have accomplished losing some pounds really made him feel good about himself and proud. It also made him desire a cupcake, but if he told Roy that he would most likely get in trouble. "So, uh, how much do I weigh now?"

"Two hundred and six pounds, which is good, but I still want you to stick to your diet and exercise. Remember, a heathy figure is a attractive figure, and a attractive figure gets all the babes."

"Right, of course. So now that I've lost all this weight do I get to go onto the next level?"

Roy nodded.

"Sweet! Next level! I'm going onto the next level! Woo hoo!" Elliot jumped for joy, and after several minutes of cheering he paused, a puzzled expression coming to his face. "Uh... I'm sorta scared to ask, but what exactly is the next level?"

Roy patted his back, chuckling softly. "You'll find out soon enough. I'll pick you up at ten a.m. tomorrow and then you'll find out."

"Why can't you just tell me now?" he questioned, noticing that Roy was steering him towards the door.

"Because it's kinda fun to torture you. Plus, Jade will be back home any minute and I need my alone time with her," Roy opened the front door and shoved Elliot through. "Don't forget to read that book of pick up lines I gave you. Bye!"

With that said Roy shut the door.

Elliot frowned, but instead of getting upset over Roy's actions he took a deep and calming breath. "In the end it'll all be worth it...," he sighed. "Dammit I want a Twinkie."

TT

A sleek, red Ferrari pulled into the parking lot of Jump City's mall. Inside the expensive vehicle was none other than Roy and Elliot. Upon setting his sights on the mall Elliot raised a brow.

"What are we doing here? We're not going to get exercise equipment again are we?"

"No," Roy responded as he unbuckled his seat belt. "We're here to shop."

Elliot couldn't help but to laugh at Roy's response. Surely he wasn't serious.

"I'm serious," Roy chided, opening the car door and stepping out. "Now get outta the car and let's go."

Elliot blinked in shock and fumbled with the seat belt. He stepped out of the car and looked at Roy. "You can't be serious."

"I'm serious," he repeated dully, making sure his precious vehicle was locked. He began to walk in the direction of the mall. "Now let's go. We don't have all day."

Elliot jogged to catch up with Roy. "What are we shopping for?"

"Clothes."

"Clothes? I'm here to help you get clothes?"

"It's the opposite actually."

"But I don't need new clothes."

"Yes, you do. Dressing up like some preppy school kid every day is never going to score you a girlfriend."

"My mom likes the way I dress!" Elliot retorted.

"First rule of dressing; if your mom likes the way you're dressing than that means you're dressing the wrong way," the doors to the mall opened and the two boys ventured in. "Today's agenda is to get you a new wardrobe. Then it's off to the barber."

"So it's basically a make over?"

"You could call it that, yeah. Now let's go, we have a lot of stores to visit."

TT

Elliot had never been one for shopping, it was one of his least favorite activities. The only type of shopping he did like was when he went shopping for video games, comic books, and movies. But when it came to clothes he became easily frustrated. It bothered him to have to search through numerous racks and hangers for the right size. When it came down to it, he just wasn't a shopping type of guy.

And having Roy around only made it worse.

Roy was hovering over his shoulder, making comments every time he picked up an article of clothing. He felt like he was back on the scale facing judgement. He was feeling nervous now, and when he got nervous he got hungry.

"Hey, are we going to get lunch anytime soon?"

Roy slapped his forehead. "For crying out loud, you haven't even picked out one outfit yet."

"I know, I'm sorry! Tell you what, how about you pick out everything for me."

"If I pick out everything for you you'll never learn how to have a good fashion sense."

"But I don't even know where to start. I don't know what girls want guys to look like."

"Okay, how about this," Roy paused for a minute to contemplate. He then snapped his fingers. "A good example of what girls like guys to look like is Dick Grayson. You see, he has that tall, dark, and handsome thing going on. He wears a lot of black, has a leather jacket, and sunglasses."

"What's so special about that?"

"Every girl loves a guy wearing a leather jacket, and sunglasses are just cool."

Elliot looked unsure. Those things may have worked for Dick, but that wasn't a guarantee it would work for him. "I don't know..."

"Hell, if they work for Dick they'll work for you. C'mon, let's go get you a leather jacket."

Elliot reluctantly followed Roy to a wall that held jackets of all styles and sizes. He gazed upon the wall, his mouth curving into a frown. He knew Roy was the expert, but this was beginning to become ridiculous. Did Roy actually believe in superstition? Surely a leather jacket and sunglasses wouldn't help him acquire a girlfriend.

Roy could sense Elliot's doubt in his logic and crossed his arms. He knew how to convince Elliot. "You know, Kori has told Jade on many occasions how _sexy_ she thinks Dick looks in sunglasses and a leather jacket."

"Really? Kori?"

Roy nodded, knowing that his little white lie would induce Elliot into believing in his logic.

Elliot turned his attention to the wall, examining his options closely. After several minutes of browsing he had a resolution that a black leather jacket would be perfect for him. He plucked one off the wall and held it to his chest. "How's this one look?"

His companion gave a thumbs up.

"Great, so what's next?"

"Shirts and jeans. I suggest you get a shirt with a picture of a rock band on it. It looks cool."

"But I don't like rock music. And my mom hates those kind of shirts, and jeans. I can't wear that! I'll be pushing my luck with the jacket."

"Okay dude, seriously, no girl wants a guy that wears what his mom tells him to. Man up!" Roy grabbed a few shirts and jeans from the table besides him and stuffed them into Elliot's arms. "Now go try these on."

"But--"

Roy crossed his arms and put on a stern countenance. Elliot couldn't help but feel small and he immediately made his way over to the dressing room. Once he was gone Roy took out his cell phone.

_"Hello?"_

Roy smirked and leaned against the wall. "Hello beautiful!"

Jade's amiable giggle reached Roy's ears and he felt warm inside. Jade was the only girl able to fill him with fervent feelings. Just hearing her voice made him feel relaxed and happy.

"So how's my favorite girl doing?" 

_"Great! Every one came over, and we're having pizza. Thanks to Dick."_

_"You're welcome, you moochers!"_ came Dick's outburst. If Roy had been in the same room as his friends, he would have seen Dick cross his arms and pout. It never ceased to amaze him how the others were always able to convince Dick to pick up the tab of their many get-togethers.

Jade laughed at her now sulking friend. "_Hold on, I'm gonna put you on speaker."_

Jade switched the phone on speaker, and Roy instantly heard the joined voices of his friends yelling hi.

_"Hey, Roy," _came Wally's voice. _"How much longer are you gonna be at the mall? We're having a movie marathon--"_

_"And it's lots of fun!" _Kori added with a jubilant voice.

_"And we have tons of junk food!" _Toni announced.

Roy could just picture Toni with a large bowl of popcorn settled into her lap. He could picture Kori hiding behind Dick when the killer of a horror film appeared, and Gar's shrill scream that would follow. Then he pictured Wally who wouldn't be able to sit still, and Karen who would yell at the screen when the character did something stupid.

Roy sighed. "I really wish I could be there with you guys, but I made a promise to Elliot that I'd help him."

"_Hey, Roy," _Gar began. _"How come when I was single you never helped me get a date?"_

"Well... You never asked."

_"I don't know why you would've gone to him_," said Wally. _"I'm the expert on girls here."_

Alain had a coughing fit at that moment, and in the midst of it he said the word 'liar'. The others caught this and laughed. Wally, however, didn't find it to be as amusing and pouted in his seat.

"Listen guys, I'll catch up with you later. I wanna see how Elliot's doing."

_"Alright then," _said Jade. "_Love you."_

"Love you, too," Roy said before shutting his phone. He slipped it into his pocket and turned his gaze towards the dressing room. "Hey, Elliot, you done in there or what?"

"I'm not coming out!" Elliot responded stubbornly. He felt weird dressed the way he was, and because of that he didn't want anyone to see him.

"C'mon, I'm sure you don't look bad. Just come on out."

"No!"

"If you come out I'll buy you an ice cream."

Hearing Roy say that was enough to persuade Elliot into coming out. He stepped out of the dressing room and Roy took a good look at him. The bulk of his stomach had gone down considerably due to the exercising, and the black Rolling Stones t-shirt he wore looked quite nicely on him. The faded blue jeans he wore went well with the studded belt Roy had grabbed, and hanging from the belt was a long chain. What completed the outfit was the black leather jacket. Roy thought the outfit looked well on Elliot, it was much better than what the video game expert normally wore. Still, he felt something was missing...

Roy snapped his fingers. "Hang on a second..."

The father to be moved quickly to a near by stand that held sunglasses. He paused momentarily, scanning his options, and picked up a dark pair of sunglasses that were similar to the style Dick wore. He returned to Elliot's side and placed the shades in his hand.

"Put these on."

Elliot shrugged his shoulders and put the glasses on. Roy gave him a thumbs up.

"Excellent."

Happy that Roy was pleased, Elliot cracked a smile. "Now can we go get ice cream?"

Roy chuckled. "Not yet. We still have one more important stop to make."

Curious as to what he meant, Elliot pushed his desire for a frozen dessert to the side. "Where to?"

TT

"Please, no! Anywhere but here!" Elliot cried out desperately, throwing himself at Roy's feet for mercy. He clutched Roy's legs and looked up at him with beseeching eyes. "Don't make me go in there!"

Roy frowned at Elliot and desperately tried separating his legs from his pupil. People began to stare at the two, and Roy's face heated up with embarrassment. He scowled at Elliot. "Would you cut it out! You're making a scene! Remember what I told you about making a scene?"

"Making a scene is bad for the image. Making a scene may cause a girl to think you're crazy and that will chase her off."

"It's good to see that you've been studying. Now let go or I'll kick your ass!"

Elliot wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he wasn't stupid. He instantly let go of Roy's legs and rose to his feet. A forlorn expression came to his face and he looked at the place Roy had brought him to.

A barbershop.

Elliot gulped in fear. When Roy said they were going to the barbershop he thought it was for Roy, not himself. The last time he went to a barbershop was when he was twelve. A new employee had been selected to be his barber, and things were going along fine until his barber accidently sniped off a large portion of his hair. The barber then tried to correct his mistake, only to make things worst. Much worst.

Little Elliot wound up with a bald spot.

Ever since then Elliot has held a deep fear of barbers and barbershops. Because of that fear he hasn't gotten his hair cut in years, which is why his ginger locks had grown past his shoulders.

Roy was aware of Elliot's horrible experience, and he truly felt sorry for him, but this needed to be done. "It's for the best," Roy told the miserable teen besides him. "You can't keep your hair long like that forever, girl's will think you're some kind of hippie."

"But what if this dude makes me bald?!"

"He won't, I promise. Phillip is my barber, he's the only person I trust with my hair. If he can make my hair look awesome he can do the same for you. Now quite being such a wimp and get in there."

"Fine...," Elliot reluctantly followed Roy inside the barbershop. "But you better get me two ice creams for this."

"You have my word," Roy glanced around the barbershop upon stepping inside. His eyes landed on the person standing behind the counter looking at his reflection. The man was tall, thin, and dressed in black with short blonde hair. Roy called out to him. "Phillip!"

The man behind the counter known as Phillip beamed at Roy. He immediately clapped his hands and made his way to his best customer. "Roy, it has been too long. What brings you here this afternoon?"

Roy patted Elliot's shoulders. "My friend here is in desperate need for a hair cut. _Desperate _need."

"You're telling me. His hair is positively ghastly!" Phillip clapped his hands together and smiled. "But not to worry. This is my passion. This is my skill. I can make him beautiful!" Phillip snapped his fingers and ventured over to an empty chair. "Come my boy and I shall introduce you to Shelly."

Elliot raised a brow. "Shelly?"

"That's what he calls his favorite pair of scissors," Roy whispered.

A sorrowful sigh escaped Elliot's lips and his shoulders slumped as he reluctantly followed Phillip.

TT

Elliot couldn't help but to stare at his reflection in the mirror. He brought his hand up to his head and carefully touched his hair, afraid to mess it up. He had to admit, he felt rather foolish for being so difficult earlier. Phillip had done an excellent job. His hair was now much shorter with a clean cut, and slightly longer in the front which served as bangs about two inches long. Due to still being in front of the mirror, Elliot saw Roy step behind him. Roy crossed his arms and smiled, nodding in approval.

"Well? Tell me what you think," Phillip said excitedly. "Do you like?"

"Judging by the big grin on his face I'd say he likes it," Roy answered. "Thanks a lot, Phillip."

Once he managed to pull Elliot away from the mirror, Roy paid Phillip and he and Elliot left the barbershop. Roy paused once they stepped outside and took in Elliot's appearance fully. He had managed to convince Elliot into changing into his new outfit before coming to the barbershop. The new outfit, plus the lost of weight, and the new hair cut had done wonders on Elliot, just like he predicted. Then there were all the things he taught him: the pick up lines, how to approach a girl, etc...

Roy came to a decision, and that decision was that Elliot was ready to play the field.

"So where to now, boss man?" Elliot asked excitedly.

"Well... I'm heading home now, and you're going to stay here to play the field."

"Play the field," Elliot spluttered. "I can't play the field yet! I'm not ready!"

"Yes you are. You got the looks, and I've taught you everything I know. You can do this," Roy insisted. "All you have to do is go out there and get numbers."

He looked unsure, but Elliot nodded his head.

"Okay, remember to act cool and confident," Roy instructed while fixing the collar to Elliot's jacket. "Analyze your surroundings so no unfortunate incidents occur, and mentally take notes about the girl you're courting. We'll meet up later and then we'll take things from there."

Elliot nodded in understanding, and before he left Roy wished him good luck.

TT

About an hour had passed by since Roy departed, and the only thing Elliot managed to do was wander around aimlessly. While he was walking he had passed by numerous girls who were single, and yet he was to fearful to talk to them. Despite his new appearance, his old bashful and nervous self still remained. His old self was hindering him from playing the field. If only if he could get a confidence boost...

"Excuse me, sir!"

Elliot turned his head to the side and spotted a table with a large banner. The banner was white, and in bold black letters it read 'Animal Rights'. Above the table sat a clipboard and a pen. Behind the table sat a girl with shoulder length black hair and hazel eyes. Her and Elliot locked eyes, and it was at that moment he realized that she was the one who called out to him. Upon realizing that, he walked over to her.

"Excuse me, but would you please sign this petition that prevents animal testing in S.T.A.R. labs."

The gears in Elliot's head shifted and he recalled the things Roy taught him. One of the first things he was taught was that a way to get closer to a girl was by similar interest. Roy also told him that sometimes pretending to have similar interest didn't hurt either. Recalling this was enough for Elliot to try and play the field.

"Of course I'll sign," Elliot said immediately, taking the pen from her hand. "I love animals."

"Oh, me too! That's why I started this petition, because I wanted to help innocent animals."

"That's a really incredible thing for you to do," Elliot commented, milking the situation. "It's important to help those who don't have a voice of their own."

The girl smiled and extended her hand. "I'm Jean."

He smiled and took her hand, but instead of shaking her hand he kissed her knuckles. Roy taught him that being charming was a good way to get a girl to like him. "I'm Elliot."

Jean blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear. "So... um... Elliot, thanks so much for signing the petition. I hope you have a nice day."

"Well... it would be nice if you'd give me your number."

"I'm not sure..."

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's cool. I'll uh, see you around."

Under normal circumstances Elliot would have whined and begged a girl for her number, but Roy taught him that such things were a major turn off. So instead of falling back into his old habits he played it cool and took his leave, making sure to grin at Jean before he left. It was an innocent grin in appearance, but it was meant to hook Jean in and tug her into his grasp.

The grin worked.

While he was still in earshot Jean called out to him. "Elliot!"

He turned back to her and raised a brow. "Yeah?"

She blushed and held out a small strip of paper. Elliot made his way back to the table and she handed him the paper.

"It's my number," she said in response to his puzzled face. "Give me a call sometime, 'kay."

He clutched the number in his hand and grinned at her. "I will definitely do that," he said before walking away.

As he walked away Jean's eyes lingered on him, but she quickly turned her attention back to her task of gaining signatures. If her eyes would have stayed on him longer, she would have seen his small leap of joy.

TT

"So after I got Jean's number, everything just sorta fell into place," Elliot explained to Roy. After his escapade at the mall, Elliot had gone straight to Roy's house to give him the details. The two were lounging around in the living room. "I put all the tactics you taught me to good use and I had this major confidence boost!"

"Uh huh," Roy muttered dully, scratching his head with a pencil. Upon returning home he found a note waiting for him by Jade. Her and the others left for the park, and instead of venturing outside to meet them, Roy decided to catch up on some homework. "So tell me more about the other girls you met."

"Oh, well there's this girl named Stacy," he began. "I met her at the music store. Yeah, apparently she's a big fan of the Rolling Stones and liked my shirt."

Roy smirked. He knew a shirt with a band on it was a good idea. "Is she hot?"

"Definitely! She had this whole punk, goth thing going on, but she seems nice. But not as nice as Heather. I met her at the ice cream parlor," his eyes narrowed. "And by the way, you still owe me two ice creams."

"Uh huh. Hey, you mind doing my math homework for me? I need to start my essay for English."

"Huh? Oh, sure," Elliot grabbed Roy's pencil and binder and continued on with his story. "So after her I met Katy at the book store. She loved the sunglasses I was wearing. And the girl I met at Best Buy said I looked very cool in my leather jacket. Her name is Natasha, in case you're wondering. Then this girl named Jane said I looked cute. Cute, Roy, _cute_! Girls never say that to me."

"That's awesome, dude," Roy said. "Where did you meet her?"

"At the arcade. She was at one of those claw machines and losing, so I went over and helped her. And after I met her I went to play laser tag. That's when I met Paige. She was on my team and we bumped into each other. Oh, and of course there's Charlotte. I went to get pizza--I mean a salad, and our orders got mixed up. And get this, she asked me for _my_ number. That's the first time that ever happened to me."

"Well I say you handled yourself well, Elliot, but you still have one more thing you need to do."

"What's that?"

A smirk came to Roy's face. "You're going to take each of those girls on a date."

TT

Elliot was excited for his upcoming dates, despite the irregular order in which they were to occur. In order to speed things along Elliot, with the help of Roy, arranged it so that he would have more than one date each day.

For his first day, he would be taking Heather, Natasha, and Charlotte out. He would meet Heather at eleven a.m., then Natasha at three p.m., and finally Charlotte at seven p.m.

His second day would be spent with Jane, Jean, and Katy. He would first get together with Jane at eleven a.m., then Jean at three p.m., and finally he would meet Katy at seven p.m.

The third day would be spent with Paige and Stacy. First he would meet Paige at one p.m., then he would get together with Stacy at five p.m.

Despite the arrangements of the dates, Elliot still had a smile on his face. He was finally going on a date that he earned, a date in which the girl wasn't going out with him as a form of payment or trickery by friends. These girls actually liked him and wanted to go out with him. This was his time to shine and enjoy himself, which is exactly what he had planned as he got ready to meet Heather.

TT

A dejected sigh escaped Elliot's lips as he waited by the bus stop. He had just finished up his date with Stacy, and it didn't go well at all. During their date Stacy went on and on about topics of death and the under world. She seemed like a sweet girl when he met her, but her dark personality gave him the creeps.

Even so, Elliot had to admit that he liked his date with Stacy a lot more than his date with Charlotte. She went on and on about commitment and the future. Her rant about marriage and children was enough to drive him out the door. He was looking for a girlfriend, not a wife.

His other dates were also unsuccessful.

After leaving the movie theater, Elliot and Natasha had a conversation about their favorite and non-favorite movies. Natasha admitted to disliking Star Wars, which Elliot took very personally since it was his favorite film.

His date with Heather had been delightful up until the point she accidently spilled coffee on his pants. But worse than that was his date with Jean. The two had met up at the park and Jean had brought her pet Saint Bernard with her. Her dog bit him before he even got the chance to say hi.

On his date with Jane he brought her a small teddy bear as a gift. She loved it, and as soon as she had the toy in her hands she pretended that it was a puppet and made it speak. Her weird behavior drove him to leave the date early.

He felt uncomfortable while on his date with Paige due to her older brothers tagging along. He didn't mind this until Paige left him alone with her brothers. She had left to use the bathroom, and once she was out of sight her brothers flexed their muscles and threatened him. Worried for his own protection, he thought it best to lose Paige's number.

While out with Katy the two got into an argument. Katy, who he dubbed as a 'heath nut' after ditching their date, had refused to let him order a burger. She demanded that her order a salad instead. He refused, and she made a snide comment about his weight in return. He retaliated with a snide comment of his own, and the argument grew from there.

After leaving his date with Stacy, he immediately called Roy to tell him the bad news. Instead of chiding him for another failed date like he predicted, Roy encouraged him to not let his failure bring him down. He made a promise to help him find new dates so that he could try again.

He reluctantly agreed to the new plan and hung up.

Despite Roy telling him not to let his failed dates bother him, Elliot couldn't help but allow them to. He had changed so much and learned so many things in hopes of finally getting a girlfriend, only for everything to blow up in his face. It all seemed like such a waist of time. He was beginning to wonder if any of it was really worth it. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever get a girlfriend.

Before he could dwell on his thoughts any longer, the bus pulled over to the sidewalk. He immediately got inside and took one of the few seats available. He sat besides a girl with curly bronze hair and folded his hands. Out of the corner of his eye he stole a glance of the girl who seemed familiar to him. He could have sworn he saw her at school before, particularly at a sporting event...

He snapped his fingers. "You're Rosabelle Mendez!"

She raised a brow and looked at him oddly. "Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that I'm a big fan of yours," upon seeing her confused face he felt the need to explain. "I go to Jump City High School, and every time there's a wrestling match I go."

"Oh, for a second there I thought you were some kind of weirdo," she paused and turned to him. "So you like wrestling?"

"It's my favorite sport. Though I can't do it myself I enjoy watching."

"Yeah, wrestling's a lot of fun... Especially when I get a guy in a choke hold."

"I remember in your last match how you flipped that one guy. It was totally awesome."

"Hey thanks. It's nice having someone show support."

He smiled and extended his hand. "I'm Elliot."

TT

It was a brand new day of school, and the halls of Jump City High School were crowded with students heading off to class. Amongst those students were Roy, Dick, Alain, and Wally. They were just about to take the stairs when Roy spotted Elliot.

"Hey guys, hold on. I need to speak with Elliot," the others stood silent as Roy took off towards the water fountain. He took in the sight of Elliot who was back to wearing trousers and a button up shirt. "Elliot, what the hell are you wearing? Where's your new threads?"

Upon hearing Roy's voice Elliot stepped away from the water fountain. "Oh, hey, Roy. What's up?"

"What's up? What's up with this?!" Roy gestured to Elliot's outfit.

"Oh," Elliot fingered the collar to his shirt. "You see, I think the new clothes I got is great, but I feel more comfortable in this."

"If this is about all those horrible dates I told you we can fix that."

"Actually... that won't be necessary. I already found a girlfriend."

The look on Roy's face was priceless. "Say what?"

"Thanks for everything you've done for me, Roy. I really appreciate it," it was at that moment Rosabelle joined Elliot's side. He wrapped an arm around her waist. "See you later, Roy."

The two walked down the hall together, and while they did that Dick, Wally, and Alain joined Roy's side. They each held shocked expressions.

"Is that...," Wally pointed at the retreating couple, mouth ajar.

"It is," Roy confirmed.

"Well I'll be damned," Dick scratched his head, eyebrow raised. "That's gotta be the weirdest couple ever."

Alain nodded his head in agreement. "Uh huh."

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO Hexanna, BerryDrops, TerraBB4Eva, mythica magic, Blackfire009, StarReader86, Daniella, tennisgal456, jcyz, clarkLover1, Errant Wrath, cookiesruletheworld, Agent of the Divine One, Romancelover1321, lildreamer lil2cool, NegativeCloud, featherpen13, cookiegurl15, Ace.04, Hidden Iris, xxScriblezxx, Because Love is WAY Over-rated, .Spaz-attack101, RavenSis, ravencherithgirl, Keirii, , Soul of AquaBlue AND chicagobabe FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! I HOPE EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER!**

**I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER. MY ENGLISH TEACHER WAS ON A WAR PATH...**

**IN CASE ANYONE IS WONDERING, Rosabelle Mendez IS Pantha. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUNNY TO PAIR HER WITH ELLIOT.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: A NEW GANG IS IN TOWN, AND THEY'RE OUT FOR BLOOD. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR XAVIER AND HIS GANG?**

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	38. It hits the fan

The club Linger was filled with a large quantity of people. Like always the club contained pounding music and people partaking in outrageous behavior. All around joyful people filled the club, but one person in particular was pushing his way through the horde of people. His countenance was one of fear, and he hastily made his way to a secluded part of the club that was on the upper level.

He came upon a door, and instead of pausing to knock he opened the door and walked in. "Jonny, I have some urgent--"

He paused once his eyes fell upon his boss in a compromising position with a female. He averted his eyes quickly.

"Dammit, Gerald," Jonny snarled at him angrily. He hastily grabbed his jeans and put them on. "Don't you know how to knock?"

"I am _so_ sorry!" Gerald said immediately with his hands over his eyes. "I didn't think--"

"That's because you never think!"

The girl Jonny was with grabbed her purse and quickly left the room. The door was shut rather loudly by her departure.

"Dammit, Gerald," Jonny snapped with an irritated tone. "Do you know how hard it was getting that chick up here?"

Gerald finally found the courage to look his leader in the eye. "Jonny, I'm really sorry, but some urgent news came up."

Jonny leaned back on the small leather sofa and lit the cigarette that was between his lips. He took a deep inhale and blew out the smoke. "What kind of news?"

Gerald took a seat opposite of Jonny so they were face to face. "Remember that new gang that came to town not that long ago?"

"You mean the one who's leader has an over sized tattoo of a lizard on his body?"

"That's the one. His gang has already doubled in size, and new recruits are joining everyday."

"So lizard boy has a big gang. Who cares?" Jonny took another inhale of his blunt. When he opened his mouth to speak the smoke escaped, clouding around his face. "My gang still has plenty of members, not to mention my allies. We'll call a meeting and put this guy in check."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Gerald paused and his countenance became serious. "Three gangs have already called a meeting with this new boss. After the meetings the leaders of the other gangs have been killed."

This alarmed Jonny and he pursed his lips.

"At the rate things are going you could be next."

"I see...," Jonny crushed his cigarette in the ash tray on top of the table. He stood to his feet and made his way to the door.

"Boss," Gerald rose to his feet as well and followed his leader out the door. "Where are you going?"

"To the docks. Call the others and tell them to meet us there. Did you drive here?"

"Yes."

"Good, we'll take your car. We'll fair better chances in your car than my motorcycle."

"Do you have a vest on?"

"Always," Jonny paused and turned towards his companion. "Gimmie your keys, I'm driving."

Gerald complied to the demand and handed him the keys. "Are you armed?"

Jonny patted the bulge of his pocket were his weapon lay. "Fully loaded. C'mon, we're heading out the front entrance. I don't want to run into any surprises in a dark alley."

The two proceeded towards the front exit, unaware that someone with red eyes was watching them. His face was hidden under a large green hood, and in his hand was a cell phone. He brought the device up to his ear and spoke in a low tone.

"He's taking the front entrance. Be ready."

_"Right boss."_

He shut the phone and placed it in his pocket. A smirk came to his face as he saw Jonny walk out the front doors. It was then that he decided to take his leave, for he wouldn't want to miss the event that was about to happen. Keeping that in mind he made his way towards the back entrance, just as the doors shut behind Jonny.

Out front the cold air of the night hit Jonny's face and tusseled his hair. He stepped away from the horde of people still waiting in line to get into Linger.

Once Jonny's figure was in full view a black vehicle pulled up on the other side of the street.

Still standing out front of the club, Jonny conversed with Gerald about his plans of defense and attack. The atmosphere around them felt normal, and no one would have suspected what happened next...

A single gunshot was heard, followed by screams and panic. The people outside of the club huddled to the ground while some ran as far as they could.

Gerald's eyes were wide in shock and he stepped back, not knowing what to do. Before his very eyes was his leader, laying on his back on the rough sidewalk. In the middle of Jonny's forehead blood followed freely due to the bullet that struck him.

Hardly anyone noticed the black vechile that drove away, and hardly anyone noticed the smirking boy wearing a green hood.

As he observed his victim on the ground and the panic that had risen he chuckled, silently congratulating himself. He walked away from the club feeling satisfied. "Now that's what I call a job well done."

TT

News of Jonny Rancid's death spread like wildfire across Jump City, especially in the halls of Jump City High School. The daily newspaper was the informer of the tragedy, and Kori had just finished reading the article.

"I can't believe Jonny's dead," she said softly, her eyes staring at the newspaper in her hands in disbelief. "He was so young."

"So is the conclusion of one of Jump City's notorious gangsters," Dick muttered halfheartedly, shutting her locker.

Kori looked appalled by his words and clutched the newspaper in her hand. "Are you saying this doesn't bother you in the least? He went to school with us!"

"Kori, we barely knew him," Dick pointed out. "What happened to him sucks, yeah, but he was a crook. Something like this was bound to happen."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," Kori mumbled as she turned away from him.

Dick immediately placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why are you getting so worked up about this?"

"Because, Dick...," Kori's voice grew sad and her eyes lowered to the ground. "What if that would have been me?"

She wrapped her arms tightly around herself as she recalled the painful memory of the time she was shot. Little less than a year had passed since that fateful day and she still found it hard to speak about, especially in the presence of Dick. It was something they both didn't like to talk about, for it opened old wounds. Even so, Kori couldn't help but to bring it up at this moment. She was lucky to have survived her shooting, Jonny unfortunately was not. She couldn't help but to imagine what if she had been the unlucky one. The thought brought tears to her eyes, but she quickly pushed them back. She was alive and well, she had no reason to cry. Besides, she didn't want to have a breakdown in the middle of the hall.

A gasp escaped her throat when she felt Dick embrace her tightly from behind. He buried his face in her long mane of red hair and inhaled the scent of cherry blossoms.

"Please... don't ever say something like that again."

She sighed. "Dick, I--"

"I get what you're saying. I shouldn't have been insensitive, just don't...," he shook his head and held her tighter, as if he was afraid some unknown force would rip her from his arms. "If I would have lost you--"

"You didn't," she said quickly, turning to face him. She took his face in her hands and leaned her forehead against his. "You didn't lose me. I just want you to understand why this bothers me so much."

She embraced him just as the bell rang. As students began to file into classrooms Mr. Mod made his way down the hall. He saw the couple embracing and paused, clearing his throat.

Dick and Kori pulled away slightly to look at him.

"Your open display of affection sickens me," Mr. Mod tapped his cane against the floor impatiently. "Come on now, scoot! Off to class!"

The two obeyed his commands and headed in the direction of class with Mr. Mod trailing behind them.

Upon entering the classroom, Dick and Kori immediately took their seats.

Mr. Mod glanced around the room and was glad to see all his students were present. A crooked smile came to his face, one that made many of the students worried. He opened his briefcase and pulled out a small stack of papers.

"Seeing how everyone is here, I think now is the perfect opportunity to hand out last week's test scores," while he said this he made his way to the front row, handing each student back their test while he passed them. "Some of you did quite well." Mr. Mod commented, handing Kori back her test. "Others of you failed horribly."

It was at this moment Gar was given his test. A capital F was circled in red.

"Aw man, I am so gonna be grounded once Rita and Steve see this," Gar whined mournfully.

Terra patted his shoulder. "It's okay, Gar. You'll do better next time," as soon as she said that Mr. Mod placed her test in front of her. Her eyes widened once she saw the F on her paper. "Dude, not cool!"

It was Gar's turn to pat her shoulder. "It's okay, Terra. You'll do better next time."

He snickered a little, and in response Terra punched him in the arm.

Sitting in front of Gar was Raven, who happened to overhear the two. She turned around in her seat to face Gar.

"If you're having trouble, Gar, I'd be glad to tutor you."

Before Gar could utter a single word, Terra spoke up.

"That's nice of you to offer, but I'll help Gar study," Terra said, glaring at Raven. She smirked and crossed her arms. "After all, I am his girlfriend."

There was an insult sitting at the tip of Raven's tongue, but she held it in, deciding it was best not to start an argument with the blonde while in class. With this in mind Raven told Gar that the offer still stands just in case, and turned around with a frown on her face.

All the test had been handed out, and Mr. Mod reclaimed his place in front of the classroom. With chalk in hand he faced the black board. "Alright everyone, today's lesson is--"

A knock at the door interrupted him.

Curious faces all looked towards the door as another knock was heard.

"One second duckies," Mr. Mod said to the class as he made his way to the door. He opened it to find a tall, teenage boy standing outside. He raised a brow. "Can I help you?"

The boy answered him by holding up a folded up piece of paper. Mr. Mod took it from him and unfolded it. He was surprised to see it was a letter from Mr. Wilson. He was even more surprised to see it was a letter informing him that the student before him would be joining the class.

"Oh... well... that's just what I needed," Mr. Mod began sarcastically. "Another student. Ugh, how am I supposed to get rid of you duckies when more keep waddling in?" He glanced at the student who was still waiting outside. "Well don't just stand there," Mr. Mod glanced at the paper to learn the boy's name. "Ian. Come in."

The boy named Ian did as he was told and stepped into the room. Upon taking in the sight of him many of the girls began to ogle him, one of those girls being Kitten. It was hard for some of the girls not to stare at the boy's toned muscles, which were visible due to his short sleeved green shirt. Also visible was the large tattoo of a lizard on both his arms. His shaggy blonde hair was pulled back in a short ponytail, giving a clear view of his red eyes.

"Everyone, this is your new classmate, Ian Gorgon. You all know the routine, be nice, blah blah blah," Mr. Mod said dryly. He scanned the room for a free seat. "Xavier, raise your hand please. Ian, take the desk behind him."

Ian did as he was told and made his way to the back of the room. He passed Kitten's desk along the way, who turned her head to get a look of him.

"Oh," she turned to Cindy, keeping her voice low. "He has a cute butt."

Ian took his seat behind Xavier while Mr. Mod began the lesson. The class stared straight ahead, focused on their teacher. Xavier, however, couldn't focus, not with Ian Gorgon in class.

"Xavier Red, what a pleasure it is to finally meet you," Ian whispered.

"I wish I could say the same to you," Xavier snapped back lowly. "What do you want?"

"Just a chance to talk. I believe you will find what I have to say very interesting."

"When and where?"

"Today, during your lunch period. What I have to say can't wait."

Xavier eyed Billy who was sitting besides him, then he turned his head to the side and saw Micheal and Seemore. They nodded at him, and in a low tone he replied. "We'll be there."

Ian chuckled. "No deal. It has to be you and I. So tell your goons to behave like good little boys and back off."

"Why should I meet you alone? For all I know it's a trap."

"Think about it, Xavier. We're in school. What harm can I possibly do to you?"

"I don't trust you, but I guess I have no choice in the matter."

"Terrific. I'm really looking forward to our conversation."

If he wasn't in class Xavier would have wiped the smirk off his face.

TT

"Come on, Kori, eat something," Dick insisted, pushing a plate of fries before the red head that sat next to him.

Kori kept her eyes fixed on the newspaper in her hands. "No thanks. I'm not really hungry."

"Not hungry?" Vic questioned. "Lil' lady, it's lunch time. _Everyone_ is hungry!"

Kori ignored her friend and continued reading.

"Kori, if you keep reading that thing you're only going to upset yourself. Would you please put that thing down and have some lunch," Dick pleaded. Kori eyed him, a big mistake on her part, for she caught sight of him using 'the look'. There was no point in trying to deny his request now, she couldn't resist his puppy dog eyes. She sighed and handed him the newspaper, which he traded with this lunch. "Eat up darling."

"You know... I'm starting to think Jump City isn't as... friendly as it used to be," Roy commented, looking at the newspaper Dick had confiscated from Kori. "There's been a rapid rise in crime."

"Well, yeah, but we're still no Gotham City," Jenn pointed out.

"Thank God," Dick muttered.

"Okay people, enough talk about crime, it's depressing," Toni said, her tone sullen as she rubbed her temples.

"You okay, Toni?" Alain asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine," she forced a smile. "I just have a bit of a headache."

"Yeah, and Toni's right, all this talk is depressing," Wally said. "Now what do we have to be upset about? We're all happy and healthy. And spring break is coming up..."

"Ah yes, the real root of Wally's happiness comes to light," Babs said before giggling.

"Yeah, well, Mr. Happy here should wipe that smile off his face because we have a poetry reading for English next period."

"Dammit, I forgot all about that!" Wally said in a panic, gripping his hair. About a week ago his English teacher told him to memorize a sonnet from Shakespeare. It was an extra credit assignment; a chance for Wally to score some extra points in response for not completing an essay. Roy had reminded him about the assignment countless times, but Wally blew him off to focus his attention on other things. More specifically; Jenn. "Quick, Kori, lemme borrow your English book!"

Kori was the perfect person to ask for help in a jam. Not only did she always come through, but she was a guarantee yes. Had Wally asked one of the others they would have told him no, just to teach him a lesson.

"Uh, okay," Kori opened her book bag and grabbed the desired text book. Since English was her worse subject she sometimes carried the text book around, just in case she could spare a few minutes to study.

She handed the book to Wally, who uttered his thanks.

"I wouldn't help him so much if I were you," Jenn told Kori. "Sometimes he needs to fall flat on his face in order to learn a lesson."

"We all know you don't mean that, love," Wally teased, poking Jenn.

Kori giggled as Jenn swatted Wally's hand away. She turned her attention to her book bag, ready to zip it close, when she noticed that her cell phone was gone. "Crap!"

"What's wrong?" Karen asked, noticing that Kori was frantically looking through her bag.

"My cell phone, it's gone. Ugh, I must have dropped it in the gym," she stood up. "I better go look for it."

"Want me to come?" Dick offered.

Kori paused. She wasn't appalled by the thought of Dick coming along, the two of them all alone in the gym together was a welcomed thought, but she couldn't afford for him to distract her. She knew he would distract her, he'd become grabby lately. "It's okay. I'm sure it won't take me long to find my phone."

With nothing left to say, she left, leaving Dick to admire her from behind.

"So, Gar," Karen began. "You and Terra are still coming to the movies with Mal and I, right?"

Still stuffing his mouth with tofu, he nodded. "Yeah."

"Where is Terra anyway?" Raven asked, not that she cared. She rather liked not having the blonde around.

"She went to see Mr. Mod," Gar answered. "She's gonna try and convince him to give her extra credit."

"What is she, crazy," Vic exclaimed. "That's suicide!"

TT

Once she arrived at the gym, it didn't take long for Kori to find her phone. It was easy, for all she had to do was retrace her steps, which lead her under the bleachers. Mr. Blood had been absent today, and the substitute teacher was Mr. Sanchez. He was a bulky man with fading hair, he wasn't the work out type of guy, so after making sure all the students had signed in he gave them free time.

Kori and her group of friends had decided to go under the bleachers for their free time, for the other students had struck up a game of volleyball, and no one was in the mood for any stray balls that always had a talent for hitting people in the face.

Whilst under the bleachers the boys had decided to play cards. Jenn chose to draw in her sketch book, and besides her Raven read a thick novel. Karen spent her time working on a song, while Toni and Babs flipped through the pages of a fashion magazine. Terra spent her time catching up on homework, and Kori was busy texting on her phone.

Her phone was easy to spot once she was under the bleachers, thanks to the large plush toy that was attached to it. It was a fat, pink worm with goggle eyes; a small present from Gar.

A look of relief crossed her face when she picked up her phone, and she made a silent vow never to forget it again. Tucking her phone safely away in her back pocket, Kori made a move to leave, but stopped suddenly when she heard footsteps.

She froze.

No one was allowed in the gym unless given special permission or if they had class. Kori didn't have either, and if she was caught she would be given detention.

She stood her ground, already deciding she would leave once the teacher left. However, to her surprise, a voice drifted in the air and over to her ears, a very familiar voice...

"Let's make this quick, I don't have all day."

Xavier.

Kori could recognize his voice anywhere.

She couldn't help but to wonder what he was doing here, and why he sounded so upset...

"You should be much more respectful to someone who holds all the cards."

Xavier chuckled. "You seem to be forgetting that you're new to town. Jump City is my territory, Ian."

And why was he with Ian?

Kori closed her eyes. Something about the way those two spoke to each other spelled hatred. But what reason would Xavier have for hating Ian? He was new to school. Perhaps they knew each other from a long time ago, she thought.

Curious, she listened to the conversation. She knew it was wrong, and most likely she would feel guilty afterwards, but she couldn't will herself not to listen.

"True, Jump City is home to some of the most vicious gangs, yours being one of them..."

Kori's eyes went wide in fright.

"But you'll be surprised at how many of the most strongest leaders have fallen."

Xavier's eyes narrowed. "You're responsible for Jonny's death."

Ian clapped his hands. "Bravo, Xavier. I knew someone of your caliber would figure it out... You're not upset that I had your little friend killed, are you?"

"Jonny was an associate. A reckless one at that. I could care less about the fact that he's dead."

Hearing Xavier say something so vile made Kori sick to her stomach.

"Ah, but you should care!" Ian exclaimed, a maniac grin lighting his face and his eyes twinkled with mischief. "Jonny's dead, his gang is without proper guidance and scrambling, now is the time to attack them."

Xavier frowned. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I want Jonny's territory."

"So? You seem very capable of taking his territory. You've already killed him."

"True, but even the most strongest of men have allies...," Ian smirked and looked Xavier in the eye. "Think of it like playing a game of chess. You have a king with pawns, knights, bishops, and even a queen."

"Cut to the chase, Ian."

"There's a war coming, Xavier, and I'm planning on being victorious. You can either join me... or be my enemy," Ian extended his hand. "The choice is yours."

There was an agonizing pause in which Xavier stood silent.

When he finally spoke, Ian didn't receive the answer he was hoping for.

"You can take your offer and shove it. I don't work with power hunger egomaniacs."

A disappointed sigh left Ian's lips and he lowered his hand. "I'm sorry you feel that way... You and me, we would have made a great team."

"I doubt that."

Ian glared, but his face held a smile. "At least I know what ground we stand on...," he turned around, and began to walk away, but not before leaving a few choice words behind. "Because now I can destroy you."

Xavier glared at Ian's retreating, chuckling form.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO clarkLover1, RobinxStarfireLuvr, Romancelover1321, NegativeCloud, Agent of the Divine One, RavenSis, Hex the Lyzanx, BerryDrops, featherpen13, Quibblo, mythica magic, chicagobabe, I'mCalledKitty, Trimacle, cookiesruletheworld, Daniella, Rein Lin, tennisgal456, AnotherLoveStory0908, fionagurls1301, Errant Wrath AND ravencherithgirl FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST AND YOUR SUPPORT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME!**

**Also, I just wanted to say thank you to xxScriblezxx, Quibblo, and BerryDrops for sending me messages during my absence.**

**About my absence... I am extremely sorry to all my readers and reviewers that it took so long for a new chapter to come up. My computer caught a virus and wasn't functioning properly, so I had to save up the money to fix it. Once I got the money I gave it to my older sister, and she took it to go get it fixed, and it took a couple of weeks, but my computer is finally back! It's running up to full speed, and so am I!**

**Look, I really am sorry that it has taken **_**this long**_** for a new chapter to come up. I really am truly **_**sorry**_**. I beg for everyones forgiveness, and I hope that you can all forgive me, but if you don't I completely understand. I hope that nothing like this ever happens again.**

**With that being said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.**

**Oh, and in case anyone was wondering; Ian Gorgon**** is a new character that I've based off of a Gordanian.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: XAVIER TELLS KORI THE TRUTH.**

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	39. Be my escape

"You know, for someone who doesn't want to be seen with me, you picked the worst possible location for a meeting," Terra pointed out in exasperation. "And can we please make this quick, I'm missing lunch."

"Oh please," Kitten narrowed her blue eyes, leaning against the wall in the girl's bathroom. Other than the two of them the bathroom was uninhabited. Kitten planned to keep it that way, which is why she had Mandy and Cindy as look outs outside. "You just want to get back to your little boyfriend."

"Hey," Terra snapped, glaring daggers at the girl in front of her. "You keep your mouth shut about him."

She rolled her eyes indifferently. "Whatever. Are you sure he won't come looking for you?"

"I'm sure. I told him I had to go see a teacher about something."

"Good," Kitten clapped her hands together and smirked. "Now we can get down to business. _Please_ tell me you've managed to get some dirt on them."

Terra purposely lowered her gaze, her hair acting as a curtain around her face. Her silence said everything.

Kitten threw up her hands, irritated. "Oh, come on, Terra! It's been, like, two months, and you still haven't gotten anything useful on them!"

"It's not that easy..."

"Are you trying to con me?"

Terra finally looked up. "What? No! I'm--"

"I didn't go through all the trouble of tracking you down and bringing you to Jump City for nothing!"

"I know that, but--"

"And after everything I've done for you..."

Terra's eyes flashed in fury. "Everything you've done for me? You haven't done anything for me!"

Kitten's mouth was agape. She narrowed her eyes. "I have, too! I blackmailed Xavier into giving me money, which I gave to _you_!"

"You only did that because it was the only way you could get me to help you. You're just using me for your revenge!"

The girl in pink crossed her arms. "So what if I am?"

"So... things have changed. I've changed."

A perplexed expression adorned Kitten's features. Terra sighed, and began to explain.

"Look... when you first asked me to get information on Kori and her friends, I was all for it. They were no one to me, and I needed the money," she shut her eyes and looked away, feeling ashamed, but then the smallest of a smile crossed her lips. A happy memory crossed her mind, and her eyes twinkled with a certain fondness. "But now that I've gotten to know them, I really like them... well, not so much Raven, but she beats you by a mile. And Gar's my boyfriend! I can't betray him."

"Well that's just two bad, because I hired you for a job and you have to do it," satisfied, she crossed her arms, feeling quite proud of herself. She had Terra under her thumb. However, when the tomboy snorted, she raised a brow. "What?"

"You think I'll just do whatever you say," she rolled her hands into fist. "I'm much stronger than you."

Despite being frightened, Kitten remained placid. "Okay, you have me beat in that department... but I know all your dirty little secrets. If you don't come through for me I'll expose you for the bitch you are. You'll lose your precious little friends, especially you're boyfriend."

Terra advanced a step further, her eyes narrowed and her hands still balled into fist. "I'm willing to take that chance."

She started to sweat a little. "Okay, but what about your brother?"

She scowled. "You wouldn't dare..."

Kitten smirked. She was still in control of this situation. "You remember the situation I found you two in, don't you? And how I convinced my dad to get him back on his feet? I can take all that away with the snap of my fingers."

She unclenched her fist, and her arms fell to her side. Her scowl disappeared, but the hatred she felt for the girl remained in her eyes, as well as in the tone of her voice. "You are such a... evil little _bitch."_

Her grin only widened. "I take it you'll continue to help me then?"

Terra clenched her fist again and looked away. "As if I have a choice."

"Good, I'm glad we understand each other," Kitten grabbed her pink purse from the edge of the sink and swung it over her arm. She walked towards the door, but paused at the sound of Terra's voice.

"Why are you so fixated on making them miserable?"

"Because," she answered before leaving. "Why should they be happy and not me?"

TT

The gym doors shut closed behind Ian, and Xavier remained standing, agitated with the conversation he just had with the other crime lord. He inhaled deeply, trying to smother the raging desire to rip Ian limb from limb that the boy had provoked within him. Now was not the time to act without thinking, doing that would only result in an ugly outcome for him and his business. He was dealing with a precocious opponent, he had to be prudent and think of a proper way to attack.

With a goal in mind he stepped forward to leave, but paused when an abrupt noise filled his ears.

It was a soft thud, followed by a small voice filled with anguish.

_"Oh my God."_

Xavier immediately froze up, his heart skipping a beat. He recongnized that voice.

"... Kori?"

TT

She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. But there it was, set in stone, the cold hard truth.

Xavier was a criminal.

_Her Xavier_. One of her closest friends was a criminal...

How could she have been so stupid?

Everyone told her Xavier was no good: her friends, her father, but most of all Dick. Dick, her best friend and boyfriend, the boy she wanted to spend her life with, had told her _countless_ times that Xavier was no good, but she wouldn't listen to him. She couldn't believe that the boy who had saved her life, the one she had come to know and love as a friend, could be capable of wicked crimes. But it was true, all of it, and Kori felt like an idiot for trusting him, for believing in him...

He wasn't the person she thought he was.

A sick feeling swelled in her stomach due to all the emotions that she felt. She was so upset she wanted to cry.

Her body trembled and she could feel tears prick at her eyes. Her legs fell out from under her, and she landed with a soft thud. All her feelings poured out into three words. "_Oh my God."_

She felt frozen, but she jumped in surprise when her name was said.

"... Kori?"

Her eyes widened in panic. In her state of distress she had accidentally spoken and exposed herself.

"Kori...," Xavier spoke again. Perhaps he had just imagined her voice, but he highly doubted that. "You're here, aren't you? Come out."

She didn't have many options, she was practically backed against a wall, so she did as he asked. She stood up, abandoning her hiding place and coming out into the open. Once she did, their eyes locked, and silence filled the air. Xavier drunk in the sight of her. She had her arms at her sides, and her eyes were wide.

"You heard everything, didn't you," he could tell by the way she looked at him, she heard every word. "Oh, Kori..."

He extended his hand and took a step towards her, but as soon as he did so she flinched and took a step back. Xavier halted his advance and withdrew his hand, feeling hurt.

She was afraid of him.

He could have laughed at the irony of the situation. One of his goals after taking over the business from his brother was to make people fear him, to make them tremble while in his presence. It came with the job, and he always got a thrill from it. But not now. Kori was the one person he didn't want to be afraid of him, yet here he was, scaring her without even meaning to. It made him feel horrible.

"Kori... if I could just explain--"

"What's to explain," she cut him off abruptly, tears ready to fall from her eyes. "You're a... you're a _criminal_!"

She turned around, ready to flee, but before she could even make two steps Xavier grabbed her wrist.

"If you would just listen to me--"

"And why should I?!" she turned to face him, the tears that had been held at bay finally fell. She dried her eyes with the palm of her free hand. "All this time you've been lying to me about who you are. You've made a fool of me. I want nothing to do with you!"

"Fine," he spat. "If you won't listen to me as your friend than at least listen to me as the person who saved your life! You owe me that much."

Using the fact that he had saved her was a low blow, but he felt it was necessary. Kori was a reasonable person, if he could just get her to listen then maybe she would understand... And maybe then she would stop gazing at him the way she was, with eyes full of loathing. She had become a large part of his life, he didn't know if he would be able to stand her hating him.

She yanked her arm away from him and side stepped around him. He turned around and saw her move towards the bleachers and take a seat.

"I'll listen to what you have to say...," she said reluctantly. "I owe that to you, but as soon as you're done I'm leaving."

He nodded at her, and took a seat by her side. She instantly scooted away from him, causing him to sigh. He couldn't hold it against her, the way she was acting, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt him.

"Well," she spoke again. "Hurry up and say what you need to, that way I can leave."

"Alright then," he replied softly, not used to her cold tone being directed at him. He moved in his seat so that he faced her. "I guess this whole thing started with my mom, Nora. While she was growing up she knew this boy, Dimitri Red. The two of them were really close, but in high school they began to drift apart. Nora fell in love, and Dimitri got involved with criminal activity.

"Before she could graduate high school she got pregnant with my brother, Jason Todd. Her boyfriend left her after Jason was born."

"That's horrible," Kori said softly.

"In a way it is, but she wasn't left alone. Dimitri and her reconciled soon after it happened. They got married, and he treated Jason as if he was his own son. Then, after a few years, I was born. And during the entire time he was building a family, he was building an empire as well."

"You mean a mob," she corrected tartly.

"You can call it that, yes."

Kori glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Despite being furious with him, she was overwhelmed with curiosity. Despite being his friend, Xavier was never one to share stories concerning his family. She wanted to hear more.

"My father had a way of juggling both home and work. You see, whenever we went out, there was always bodyguards around. And during dinner, when it was just the family, he would openly talk about his work to my mother, right in front of my brother and me," Xavier chuckled. "If that wasn't enough he would tell us bed time stories about how he stormed places with bullets flying everywhere.

"We were never kept in the dark about his work, so it didn't surprise him when Jason and I wanted to tag along and join the action.

"He never took us to storm building with flying bullets, but he did teach us everything he knew, and he did take us to some places, like meetings. Of course he never let us sit in during the meetings, but since he owned a small studio we got to listen in while his clients and partners spoke behind the glass.

"We were never completely safe, but we were all happy, but nothing can last forever...," Xavier paused, his eyes closing. "I was eight years old when my parents... when my parents..." He clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut, a scowl coming to his face. "They were killed."

Kori reached out a hand to comfort him, but paused. She withdrew her hand. "I'm sorry... I understand if you don't want to, but... can you tell me what happened to them?"

Xavier was silent for awhile, but eventually continued his tale. "It was their anniversary. They went out for dinner and dancing, and as soon as they left the restaurant they were ambushed. Shot and left for dead..."

"Why would anyone do that?"

"Because it's apart of the lifestyle, Kori," he snapped. "Kill the strongest opponent to become strong yourself."

"But I don't understand, why did they need to kill your mother, too?"

"Because she was his wife. She may not have been apart of his business, but she was apart of his lifestyle. That's how it works. If you get involved you're taking your whole family in with you," he sighed. "After my parents died everything changed for Jason and I. For starters, my uncle Clint came to watch over us."

"Was he also involved in your father's work?"

Xavier nodded. "And he operated differently than my father. You see, when my parents died Jason was already sixteen, so my uncle thought it was fit to bring him into the business."

"And what about everything your father created?"

"He left it in his will that all operations would be turned over to Jason as soon as he was eighteen. He also made it so that in case my uncle decided to bail, we would be supported. He set up bank accounts for us to access, as well as leaving us our own apartment.

"Things were quiet for awhile, and business was good. Jason was a huge asset not only to the business, but to me as well. He taught me things my father never got a chance to. Again things were good, and just like last time they turned sour.

"My uncle got horribly sick, and he knew death was at his door, so he made arrangements for Jason to obtain the business before he was eighteen. Things went according to plan, and before my uncle died Jason became head of operations. After that Jason changed."

"How so?"

"It's hard to explain... At times he would start talking about random things: life, love, running away, how he wanted something more. I never really paid any attention to it, because by this time he allowed me to join in on the business. He also let Billy and Seemore join in, too. I also became friends with Micheal when he joined.

"Along the way I made enemies, too. Fang was apart of a rival gang, and when we meet it was hate at first sight."

"It was like that for me and him, too," the two shared a moment to laugh, but Kori stopped immediately once she remembered she was supposed to be mad at him. "So if Jason is the leader, how come Ian said you were?"

"I was just getting to that," he began. "You see, without me knowing, Jason started a relationship with a girl named Mia Dearden. She's the daughter of a mob boss, but she disowned her parents because she wanted no part of their lifestyle... She's one of the lucky ones, she escaped with her life."

"But if she's involved with Jason, wouldn't that mean she's involved in his lifestyle, too?"

"She refused to be completely involved with Jason because he was apart of a gang. So, like the romantic saps most men in my family are, he followed his heart."

"And chose to be with her, and leave the mob," she said, a small smile coming to her face. How romantic, she thought in glee.

"And when he left, I took over. That's the whole story."

"I see...," Kori murmured softly, absorbing the information. She remained silent, deep in thought. She was trying to make sense of it all.

A part of her was furious with him because of the life he was in, and the lie he tricked her into believing, but then the part of her that still cared for him yearned to forgive him. Still, she was reluctant.

In her eyes he was now a completely different person, and despite hearing his story, she still felt that she didn't know him at all. She was finding it hard to believe in him, and found herself recalling every rumor she ever heard about him. She was beginning to believe they were the facts.

One rumor in particular stood out like a sore thumb.

"Tell me," she began softly, her gaze lowered. "Have you ever... killed someone?"

There was a long pause, and Kori prayed that his answer was no.

Xavier lowered his gaze as well. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"No... I suppose I don't," she said before standing up. She made her way towards the exit and left.

Xavier stared after her, feeling a tug at his heart strings.

He couldn't let her go. He _couldn't_.

He quickly followed her out the gym and into the hall. "Kori, please don't hate me!"

She paused in her walk and turned around. She met his hopeless gaze with dull eyes. "I don't hate you... I don't feel anything for you."

That felt like a punch in the gut. "You don't mean that."

She turned, ready to leave. "Just leave me alone, Xavier."

This was it. She was leaving him, ready to walk out of his life for good.

He didn't want that to happen. He _couldn't _let that happen.

Panicked, he blurted out something that he'd been holding in for far to long.

"I'm in love with you!"

He didn't know what his confession would accomplish for him, or how she would react, but he was glad that his confession managed to stop her in her tracks. Kori was completely frozen. If he was going to get through to her, now was the perfect time.

He walked around her so they were face to face.

"Kori, I'm sorry about the way you found out about me, but that shouldn't change anything between us," he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I've done some horrible things, but I still have good in me. Please, Kori, don't leave me like this. I want you in my life."

He was handing himself over to her on a silver platter, a reckless and dangerous move, one that could possibly fail he thought with a forlorn mood. Even so, he didn't care. It would be worth it if Kori would just accept him.

The thought of her accepting him was a fleeting one, for she continued to stare at him with blank eyes.

He was beginning to think his confession was a terrible mistake. He shook her gently, hoping she would awake from her stupor. "Kori?"

She blinked at him, her mind reeling due to his confession. "I-I don't know what to say..."

Neither did he.

So he kissed her instead."

TT

Terra wanted nothing more than to do away with Kitten. Her mind raced with wicked thoughts on how to rid the pestering girl from her life, but each idea was a major no can do, for not only were they wicked, but illegal as well.

She released a depressing sigh as she walked down the hall, deciding to face the music.

There was nothing she could do about Kitten, for she was the one with complete control.

Granted Terra was stronger in the physical sense, but it did her no good. Kitten was cunning and ruthless, she had nothing to loss whereas Terra had everything on the line.

In actuality it wasn't herself that she was worried about, she was already accustomed to lost, the person she was worried about was her older brother. Not only did Kitten give her a large sum of money, but she also got her brother a job. Her brother was so happy to be back in Jump City and working again, Terra couldn't do anything to jeopardize that, even if it meant she would have to do Kitten's dirty work.

That was easier said than done.

Even though she was friends with Kori and the others, it was hard to dig up any dirt on them that Kitten could use. They all seemed so squeaky clean, and in addition to that, she had only been their friend for a few months. Terra doubted any of them would be pouring out their life story to her anytime soon.

"This is gonna be hard," Terra muttered to herself, ready to round the corner, but just as she was about to do that, she heard a voice.

"I'm in love with you!"

Terra paused immediately. That voice sounded oddly familiar.

She pushed her back against the wall and cautiously took a peek. To her surprise she saw Xavier with Kori. She pulled back, her mind reeling. If this wasn't dirt she didn't know what was.

She quickly pulled out her cell phone, ready to snap a picture of the two, but hesitated. Kori was her friend, she didn't want to hurt her... but she needed information for Kitten.

Terra decided to go through with her plan and deal with the guilt later. She readied her phone, and just as she snapped the picture, the two kissed.

TT

Kori was immediately snapped out of her stupor when she felt Xavier's lips against her own, and once she did she roughly pushed him away.

"You jerk!" she snapped furiously, pushing him again. "I have a boyfriend!"

"Kori, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking--"

"Clearly you weren't!"

"Look, I didn't mean to," he took a step towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I just--"

"Don't _touch_ me," she growled at him, pushing him away. "Okay, I am done with you. You hear me? Done!"

She turned away on her heel, absolutely livid, but as she walked down the hall that anger turned to sadness, and she felt tears prick her eyes.

This time, as she walked away, Xavier made no attempt to stop her. He had screwed up royally with Kori, and he doubted there was anything he could do or say to fix things between them.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO Trimacle, Agent of the Divine One, cookiesruletheworld, TeenTitansFreakFan, cookiegurl15, .Spaz-attack101, NegativeCloud, Kick Ass Kids, Hex the Lyzanx, BerryDrops, Star 4 Robin, mythica magic, chicagobabe, featherpen13, Romancelover1321, clarkLover1, Daniella TT AND StarReader86 FOR THE MOST AMAZING REVIEWS EVER! YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME!**

**You know, ever since I've joined FanFiction, it has always been important to me, as well as my readers/reviewers. And now that I'm finally back, I've realized how much all this means to me, and let me tell you, it means A LOT. After I started replying to reviews I found myself in tears, I didn't know finally coming back would have such an effect on me. Let me just say that I've missed everyone so much and I am so glad to be back!**

**OKAY, SO I'VE GOT SOME NEWS, THIS STORY HAS PASSED 900 REVIEWS! SO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS... DRUM ROLL PLEASE...**

**EVERYONE GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO... ****Kick Ass Kids**** FOR BEING THE 900TH REVIEWER! Kick Ass Kids, AS A REWARD YOU GET TO ASK ME ****ONE**** QUESTION ABOUT THIS STORY, OR ANYONE OF THE TWO SEQUELS, OR EVEN When We Were Young OR Sick Cycle Carousel IF YOU LIKE. THE CHOICE IS YOURS, BUT REMEMBER TO USE YOUR ONE QUESTION WISELY!**

**OH, AND I'M SURE EVERYONE NOTICED BY NOW THAT MOST OF THE CHAPTERS ARE NAMED AFTER SONGS THAT I LIKE. THIS CHAPTER IS NAMED AFTER A SONG CALLED ****Be My Escape**** BY A BAND NAMED ****Relient K****. IT'S AN AWESOME SONG, SO I RECOMMEND IT.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: THINGS AREN'T OVER BETWEEN XAVIER AND KORI JUST YET. AND IAN HAS MORE PLANNED UP HIS SLEEVE THAN MEETS THE EYE.**

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	40. Prayer of the refugee

The lights were dim and the only sound heard was emitted from Dick's iPod, which rested on it's dock, the song Collide by Howie Day playing softly thanks to the speakers. Resting comfortably on the queen sized bed was Dick with Kori snuggled in his arms, her cheek resting on his chest. The two had completed all their school assignments for the day, and were now content in each others company. For a long while the two stayed in this position, listening to the music, but the tranquility was broken by Dick.

"Kori?" he began softly, rubbing her back to gain her attention.

"Hm?" she looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. She had been so comfortable she was almost ready to fall asleep.

He looked down at her so they were eye to eye. "Where'd you disappear to today?"

Her eyes widened a bit in confusion. "Huh?"

"You know, during lunch?" he reminded. "You went to find your phone and never came back. What were you doing all that time?"

"Oh...," she looked down with a somewhat guilty expression. "Well... I..."

"Yeah?" he pressed.

Kori bit her lip, contemplating. Should she tell Dick about what transpired between her and Xavier? She briefly wondered what his reaction would be to the news, especially about the part when Xavier kissed her, and her mind flashed an image of Dick going berserk and attacking Xavier.

She gulped.

"Kori?" he insisted. "Is something wrong? Did something happen?"

"No! I mean... yes, but...," she sighed. She hated lying to Dick, but in this situation she saw no other choice. Besides, it wasn't within her right to tell him Xavier's life story. "I ran into Xavier."

"Did he do something to you?" Kori could already see the anger in Dick's eyes beginning to boil.

"No," she answered immediately, settling the raging beast within him. "We just talked... Well, it was more like argue."

"You and him got into an argument?" he didn't know whether to be glad or concerned. "Was it bad?"

She nodded. "Yeah, yeah it was bad," she rested her cheek on Dick's chest like before. "I don't think Xavier and I can be friends anymore."

Dick decided jumping up for joy would be inappropriate right about now, but he made a mental note to do so later when Kori wasn't around.

Despite the overwhelming sense of joy swelling inside his chest, Dick was also consumed with curiosity. Hardly anyone ever got on Kori's bad side, and if they did she was most likely to forgive them later. He couldn't help but to wonder exactly what Xavier did that upset Kori so much.

"Hey, Kori," Dick began. "What pissed you off so much that landed Xavier on your shit list?"

He felt her tense up in his arms, then gradually relax. There was a long pause before she answered.

"Because... he's not the person I thought he was."

Dick wondered what she meant by that, but decided to drop the subject. Instead, he held her closer, hoping this would bring her some comfort.

TT

When Kori walked into class the next morning she was genuinely surprised to see Xavier's vacant seat. She stood glued by the door with a dumbfound expression on her face, wondering why he wasn't in class. Her gaze shifted towards the empty seats besides Xavier, the ones belonging to Micheal and Billy, and she briefly wondered where they were. Spotting Seemore, she decided to ask him, but then decided against it, remembering the events of yesterday.

As she made her way to her seat, her mind wrapped itself in a trance, oblivious to the jokes her friends made. She knew she was supposed to be mad at Xavier, but she couldn't stop herself from worrying about him. What if he was in danger? What if he was hurt?

What if he was doing something illegal?

Kori scowled. That was most likely the case. For all she knew he was probably off robbing a bank, or whatever it was his form of work specialized in.

"Hey, Kori," Gar's voice broke her out of her trance. "Settle this debate for us. Which is a better color, green or blue?"

"I know you'll make the right choice little lady," Vic grinned at her.

Kori smiled at them, feeling foolish. She didn't need Xavier, nor did she have to worry about him. She had more than enough friends, friends who wouldn't keep secrets the way he did.

"Neither," she answered, causing both Vic and Gar to frown. "Purple takes the cake every time."

"No fair, that's a biased opinion!"

"Yeah, and besides, green kicks purple butt. Tell her, Dick."

"To be honest I prefer red."

Vic and Gar groaned in union, causing the others to laugh, except for Raven who buried her nose in her Dracula book.

In the midst of all the laughing, gentle teasing, and jokes, Kori managed to catch sight of Ian walking into class. His presence made her freeze, and her heart began beating like a wild animal inside a cage. Her memory recalled that he, like Xavier, was also in a gang.

It wasn't the fact that he was in a gang that made her eyes widen in fear, it was the aura around him. The smirk on his lips, the coldness in his eyes, it all contributed to his devilish personality. Kori could see, that despite the obvious similarity, that Xavier was far different than Ian. Xavier's smile showed kindness, and his eyes held a deep warmth.

Ian's gaze locked with Kori's and he raised a brow. Immediately she gulped and looked away, making a mental note to stay away from him.

"Kori, are you okay?" Wally asked, perched on his desk.

"Uh... yeah," Kori smiled in reassurance.

"Okay, good," said Gar. "Because I have another question. There's one slice of pizza left, who gets it, me or Vic?"

"That's easy," she began. "I do."

"Oh c'mon!"

"Not fair."

The small group of friends continued their antics, unaware that Ian's eyes were fixated on them, or rather on one person in particular. However, it wasn't long before his line of vision was blocked, replaced with a pink outfit consisting of a skirt and shirt. Ian's gaze worked it's way up past the pink clothing and settled on a pair of blue eyes.

"Can I help you?" he asked flatly.

"I'm sure you can, but let me introduce myself first. I'm Kitten," she extended her hand. "And these are my friends Cindy and Mandy."

The two girls waved with smiles on their faces.

Ian looked from girl to girl, and his eyes finally landed on Kitten's outstretched hand. He eyed it warily. Kitten noticed, and her smile began to crumple into a pitiful frown, her hand falling to her side in the process.

"Is there a reason for you pestering me... Kitten?" he said her name with a slight venomous tone.

Flustered, Kitten mustered the most innocent smile she could conjure, which wasn't a very good one. "Oh, I was just wondering if you were... perhaps... _free_... this weekend."

His eyes narrowed dangerously and she, along with Cindy, almost jumped out of her skin. "Why?"

Fed up with the tough guy act, Mandy spoke up. "She wants to go out on a date with you. It's what _normal _people do, but I guess you have trouble with that factor."

Cindy and Kitten looked at Mandy in horror, Kitten mainly because she was worried that her friend had just ruined her chances. Slowly, the two girls turned their gaze towards Ian, whose eyes focused on Mandy. To their surprise, he smirked.

"I'm going to be extremely busy for the next week or so," he said, turning his attention towards Kitten. He took her hand in his and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. "Maybe when I'm free we can get together... but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you."

Kitten nearly swooned in her spot. She loved nothing more than a bad boy.

"Ducks and duckettes, please take your seats," Mr. Mod demanded as he entered the classroom, briefcase and coffee in hand. He looked around the classroom as his students scrabbled to take their seats, his eyes narrowing. "Seemore, where are your delinquent friends?"

"Oh, uh...," Seemore rubbed the back of his neck. "They must be home sick."

"Well make sure to tell them about today's homework. I don't want anymore slacking off in my class. That goes for the rest of you bunch as well," Mr. Mod said before taking a long sip of his coffee, turning towards the blackboard.

Ian glanced over at Seemore. "So where is Xavier really at?"

"None of your business," Seemore shot back, glaring daggers at his enemy while also pointing out his tongue.

Ian chuckled, murmuring to himself. "I can tell this little war between Xavier and I is going to be _very_ amusing."

He cast his eyes towards the red head sitting up front, who secretly found herself wishing that her ex-friend was okay.

TT

The school day was going by faster than Kori expected, and she soon found herself sitting in her sixth period science class. She glanced at Xavier's empty seat, which was besides her, and placed her face in her hands, feeling frustrated.

Despite telling herself over and over again that Xavier meant nothing to her, she couldn't stop thinking about him and worrying about him. She kept reminding herself that their entire relationship was based on a lie, but then she would recall all the times he made her smile and laugh. It made her believe that their friendship wasn't false, but then thoughts of his career would entire her mind. He wasn't the type of person she should be associating with. The danger that surrounded him could just as easily surround her, and the people she cared about. A mental image of her and Xavier being surrounded by a police squad came to mind, making her wince.

An irritated groan escaped her lips and she buried her head in her arms. All her thoughts about Xavier was leading her around one giant, not to mention _very _confusing, circle.

"Wow, you don't look so good."

Kori's eyes lazily looked up just in time to see Babs take the vacant seat besides her. Xavier's seat, she thought sadly, but shook her head in an attempt to forget about him.

"Is something wrong," Babs asked, genuinely concerned. She leaned in closer to whisper. "You're not having problems with Dick are you?"

"No, things between Dick and I are fine," she reassured. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Anything I can help with?"

"Thank you, but it's something I have to figure out myself," Kori smiled softly, glad that Babs was sitting besides her. "But I could use a distraction. Anything you want to get off your chest?"

"Oh... well," she blushed. "There is this boy I've been chatting with."

Kori clapped her hands in glee, a broad smile on her face. This was just the type of distraction she needed. "What's his name? Do I know him? Is he cute?"

Babs giggled. "Yeah, he's cute. And you do know him," she pointed behind Kori. "There he is."

Kori turned her head, trying to act nonchalant, as she took a peek at the boy Babs was pointing at. She nearly squealed, but held it in as she turned towards her friend. "You like Ben?"

"A little," she admitted. She was positive she was almost completely over Dick, but even so, she wasn't the type to just jump in the wagon. "I'm still trying to find my footing with him."

"Well let me know how everything turns out," Kori said, just as Mr. Mumbo entered the classroom, wheeling in a television.

He placed the television in the middle of the front of the room. Turning to the class, he grinned from ear to ear. "Who wants to watch a movie?"

The class answered by quickly raising their hands.

Mr. Mumbo decided to show the class a film about cryptozoology, and about ten minutes into the film Kori raised her hand to go use the laboratory. He dismissed her, and she quietly left the room.

Once business was done she emerged from the girls restroom and began her way back to class. She walked down the hall, her footsteps echoing around her, but she soon came to a halt and was engulfed in silence.

Ian was in the halfway, coolly leaning against the lockers.

Kori crossed her arms and lowered her gaze. She resumed walking ahead, passing Ian along the way.

"You're Kori Anders, right?"

Kori paused in her step.

"I've heard a lot about you. Daughter of Myan Anders. Girlfriend of Dick Grayson. Not to mention, friend of Xavier Red."

She immediately turned around. "What do you want?"

He moved away from the lockers and stood before her, smirking. "Catching your attention was easier than I expected. Now why is that, Kori? Was it something I said? Is it because I mentioned Xavier?"

She glared at him. "If you're going to talk like an ass I'm leaving. Now what do you want?"

He chuckled. "I like a girl with a temper. Very attractive."

"You're a pig."

"I wonder if it's that fiery tongue of yours that Xavier likes so much."

"Look," she seethed, agitated with all his taunting. "I don't know what you've heard, but I am not connected to Xavier in anyway."

He stepped closer to her, matching her glare for glare, his tone low. "You're lying."

She became stiff.

He continued. "I can tell. Your emotions betray that pretty little poker face of yours."

"So what if I am friends with Xavier," she shouted angrily. "What's it to you?"

"It means nothing to me," he said calmly. "All I wanted to do was suggest that you assemble something black, something that's appropriate for a funeral, perhaps?"

Furious, Kori made to swing at him, but he caught her wrist before she could connect. Seeing as how he blocked her first attack, she swung her other fist as well, but it was a futile attempt, for he caught her wrist like before. Seeing as how he had the upper hand, he took this opportunity to trap her against the lockers. A small gasp escaped her, and he grinned.

"Did you honestly think," he began, amused. "That I would actually allow you to strike me?"

She said nothing and instead struggled to free her captured wrist, but to no avail.

"I would stop struggling if I were you," he warned, gripping her wrist tighter.

She stopped and gritted her teeth. "Let go of me."

"I will, as soon as I do one thing...," he whispered, leaning closer towards her lips. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head to the side, avoiding him. He grinned, and instead planted a kiss on her cheek. Then, moving to her ear, he whispered something to her. "The day I steal a kiss from your lips will be with your consent."

He released her, and she rubbed her cheek, glaring at him. "As if I would _ever_ give you consent to touch me!"

He ignored her and began to walk away. "You tell your friend Xavier that I said hi."

There wasn't anything she could do now, except go back to class. Thankfully, the direction she was heading in was opposite from the path he took.

As they both walked away, neither one of them were aware that someone had witnessed the whole event.

TT

It was amazing, Xavier thought as he sat besides the window in his office, how everything in someones life could go straight to hell simultaneously. To say that things were going horrible for him would be a complete understatement. As if having Kori hate him wasn't bad enough, his business was slowly going down the drain, and it was all thanks to the recent power struggle between him and Ian.

He had taken the day off from school, not only because he wanted to bestow Kori the gift of his absence, but also because a day off was just what he needed to contact his allies.

Xavier believed in the age old saying that there are strength in numbers, which is why he spent the day speaking with his associates. He wanted plenty of backup in his quest to defeat Ian. However, his quest for support hadn't gone as he hoped.

Many of his allies were unwilling, or just not able, to help. The ones that were unwilling to help, he discovered, wanted to play if safe and not get on Ian's radar. Some had already made an alliance with with Ian and were refusing to fight completely. Others, he discovered, had problems of their own. They either didn't have the resources, or had their own power struggle to deal with. Some of his allies hadn't even responded, and he briefly wondered if they had been wiped out.

At the end of the day only a minor fraction of his allies had agreed to help.

He sighed and took out his cell phone, deciding to check up on Micheal, Billy, and Seemore. They were his closest and most trustworthy friends, and he had given them each a special task to do for the day.

He decided to give Micheal a call first.

He had sent Micheal out on business, ordering him to tie up some loose ends as well as to pick up some supplies. Their conversation was short, for Micheal only gave him the most important details. Xavier was glad to hear that everything had gone smoothly, and decided to call Billy next.

He had ordered Billy to dig up information on Ian, and was disappointed to learn that Billy hadn't found anything useful. He ordered Bill to continue searching, and was just about ready to contact Seemore, when someone knocked at his door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me boss," answered the voice from behind the door. "Seemore."

Xavier walked over to the door and unlocked it, opening it for Seemore, and then walked back over to the window to reclaim his seat. Seemore followed him inside and shut the door behind him.

"I was just about to call you. How'd the job go?"

The job Xavier spoke of, referred to the order he gave Seemore for the day. Seemore's task was to keep an eye on Ian.

"Ian didn't do much except cut class and wander around the school," Seemore answered.

"And after school?"

"He wandered around the city, but I lost his trail when he entered the subway."

"Do you think you were spotted?"

"Do _you_ think I was supposed?"

A small grin spread across Xavier's face, he trusted Seemore's abilities perhaps more than he trusted his own. "No," he looked up at his friend. "So Ian really didn't do anything suspicious?"

"Well, he did do one thing...," Seemore hesitated before continuing. "He caught Kori in the hall at school, and they talked for a bit. He was trying to drag it outta her that the two of you are friends. He basically kept pushing her buttons until she snapped and tried to hit him."

"She did what?!" Xavier asked in shock, standing so quickly that his chair fell from behind him. At times he admired Kori's bravery, but now was not one of those times. "What the hell was she thinking?"

"Xavier, there's more."

His eyes narrowed. "What else happened?"

"You see, when Kori went to hit him, Ian caught her by surprise and pushed her against the lockers. After that he tried to kiss her."

"He kissed her?" Xavier seethed.

"Only on the cheek," Seemore said quickly. "After that he left."

"So you're telling me Ian had Kori under his thumb," he began slowly, his voice calm, but his next words were full of rage. "And all you did was stand there and watch?!"

"If I would have done something Ian would have figured out that I was spying on him," Seemore said in his defence.

"Do you think I care about that?! Kori could have been hurt!"

"I'm sorry, Xavier," Seemore apologized, his voice small.

Xavier clenched his fist, reeling in his temper. Yelling at Seemore was wrong, especially since he wasn't the one he was angry at. "No, I'm sorry, Seemore. I shouldn't have snapped at you. Just... give me some time to myself."

Seemore nodded and left the room, making sure to close the door behind him.

Once he was alone, Xavier couldn't contain his anger any longer and he punched the wall. He couldn't wait to get his hands on Ian.

TT

It was a brand new school day, one that seemed to drag its feet across eight periods. When the last school bell of the day rang, it was a relief to many of the students who were quite eager to leave. Kori happened to be one of them, for she and her friends had plans to hang out. A day with those closest to her was just what she needed, especially after what happened with Ian.

She couldn't scrub her cheek hard enough after that incident.

If anything good came out of that incident it was the fact that she learned something. She learned that being Xavier's friend came with risk. Kori also learned that she did not know where she stood with him. If forgiving him meant painting a red target on her back, she wasn't sure if she could.

Despite the growing confusion within her, Kori decided that she would put everything to the side and enjoy herself with Dick and the others.

Speak of the devil...

Dick wrapped an arm around Kori's waist and pulled her closer. "So my lovely lady, will you be riding in my car to the movie theater?"

"My handsome gentleman, of course I will," she giggled before kissing him.

"Any more open displays of affection and I think I might vomit," Raven said as she passed them, heading for the school doors.

Kori and Dick followed her, the others trailing along.

"In that case," began Dick. "You should start carrying a bucket around."

Before the small group made it out, a male student ran past the open doors and into the hall, shouting as loud as he could, grabbing everyone's attention. "Hey everyone, Xavier Red and that new kid Ian are fighting! Come on!"

There was a stampede towards the front doors, and Dick caught sight of the look of worry on Kori's face.

"Oh no...," she murmured softly, running towards the front doors with the others right behind her.

TT

When Ian walked outside of school, he wasn't at all surprised to find Xavier. He stepped towards his enemy, who was coolly leaning against a tree, his countenance being one of malice and hatred. Ian chuckled to himself, hoping to have some fun.

"Xavier," he began, once they were face to face. "You wouldn't happen to be waiting for me, would you? Oh, that's so sweet."

Xavier merely glared. "What business do you have with Kori?"

"Kori?" Ian tapped his chin. "Kori... Kori...? Now who might she be?"

"Don't toy with me, Ian," Xavier warned.

He snapped his fingers. "Now I remember. She's that foxy little red head that you care so much about, right? Let me guess, she told you all about yesterday and now you're angry. Am I warm?"

"Listen up, psychopath," Xavier snapped, gripping Ian by the collar of his shirt. "Tell me why you've taken an interest in Kori. If it's because you think you can use her to get to me--"

"You have it all wrong. I don't plan on using an innocent girl to get ahead in anything," he smirked. "But I do like to rattle the cage."

His eyes narrowed dangerously, and he pushed Ian away. "Stay the hell away from Kori."

With that being said, Xavier took his leave, but paused when he heard Ian's voice.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but that can't be done."

Xavier turned around, clenching his fist.

"You see," he continued. "I think Kori might be the perfect girl for me. She's much more appealing than a certain kitty that's taken a liking to me."

Xavier stepped forward. "I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. Stay away from Kori."

He smirked. "Make me."

He didn't need to be told twice.

Xavier tackled Ian to the ground and gained the upper hand. He took this opportunity to strike Ian repeatedly with his fist, but Ian manged to overcome Xavier and throw in his punches as well. The two were so busy fighting, they didn't even notice the large crowd forming to watch.

By this time, Xavier managed to gain the lead again by pinning Ian against a tree. He was ready to throw another punch, but paused at the sound of Ian's chuckling.

"Come on, Xavier, hit me! Show me how strong you are without your fucking friends to back you up!"

Xavier complied and hit him again, knocking him to the ground. Before he could continue his assault, someone took hold of his arm, hindering him from doing anything more. He turned his head to see who it was, and was less than surprised to see Mr. Wilson.

"You're coming with me," Mr. Wilson growled, pulling Xavier towards the building. He paused in front of Ms. Mae, the school's nurse, and jerked his thumb towards Ian. "Help that one while I deal with this delinquent."

Ms. Mae did as she was told, and headed towards Ian who still resided on the ground, wiping the blood from his face onto his green sleeve.

"Come with me, young man," she said kindly, helping him up only to be rebuffed.

"I don't need any help," he snapped angrily, upset that his fight with Xavier had been cut short. Just when it was getting interesting, he thought. He walked away fuming, Kitten running after him in hopes of giving him a ride home.

Meanwhile... The crowd began to dissipate, giving Mr. Wilson and a reluctant Xavier a clear path inside the school. Kori managed to catch sight of him, but before she could say anything he vanished inside. She really wanted to talk to him...

"Kori," Dick placed a hand on her shoulder. "How about we get outta here."

She really wanted to go with him, forget that any of this ever happened and go have some fun, but she couldn't. Not without speaking to Xavier first. "You go on without me. I'm going to wait for Xavier."

"Kori--"

"I know what you're going to say, Dick," she cut him off. "That he's no good and I should stay away from him, and you have every right to think that, but Xavier's been my friend for a long time and I can't just throw that away. So I'm staying, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Dick smiled at her, and pulled her close to plant a kiss on her forehead. When he pulled away, he almost chuckled at the look of surprise on her face. "I was going to say for you to call me once you get home."

"Oh," she blushed in embarrassment, feeling foolish.

"I trust you," he finished, with a broad smile on his face.

She felt close to tears and hugged him as hard as she could. "Thank you."

They pulled away, and while Kori stayed behind, the others left, heading for the school parking lot. Once they were a good distance away, Karen spoke to Dick softly.

"Are you sure you're okay with this whole thing?" she inquired, shocked that a full blown out argument hadn't occurred.

"Everything is fine," Dick reasurred her. "Like I said before, I trust Kori."

TT

Xavier was relieved when Mr. Wilson released him from his office. Having an old man yell at him for twenty minutes straight wasn't something he wanted on his 'to do' list. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, kicking himself over and over. He had messed up big time. Picking a fight with Ian only managed to do one thing, and that was to fan the flames.

He stepped outside the school, and was surprised to see the back of a familiar head of red hair facing him. "Kori?"

Kori turned around, relieved to finally see him, and stood up from the steps. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied back.

For awhile the two did nothing but stand in silence, but in an attempt to break that, Kori spoke up. "So...," she began awkwardly, not sure of what to say. "How much detention did he give you?"

"None. I got expelled."

"What? But that's not fair!"

He shrugged. "Don't really care. I never really liked school, but when my brother finds out he'll be pissed," he glanced at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," she confessed, taking a step towards him. "I wanted to apologize."

"You shouldn't be the one apologizing. I'm the one who keeps messing up. It's my fault that Ian cornered you."

She didn't bother to ask him how he knew about that, she figured Ian probably said something. "Ian is a psycho and you are not responsible for his actions."

"I doubt you'll have to worry about him, just so long as you stay away from me," he said, walking past her. He stopped at the sound of her voice.

"What if I don't want to stay away from you?"

He turned around.

"The way you live is not something I approve of, but that doesn't change the way I feel about you. You're still my friend."

"Forget about anything there was between us," he said finally. "It's to dangerous with Ian around. He's bolder than any other enemy I've ever had."

"I don't care about the danger."

"You should!"

"You don't! If it's so dangerous why don't you quit?"

"I can't! This life is the only thing I know! I grew up in it! And I don't want you getting involved!"

"But it's my choice!"

They were at a standstill, the both of them glaring at each other, neither one willing to back down.

"Look," she said after a long pause of silence, her eyes becoming soft. "I tried to forget about you and it didn't work, so I don't care what you say. I'm not going to abandon you. You're my friend, and I care about you."

He closed his eyes, it would be pointless trying to convince her now. Kori was stubborn as hell. "I care about you to."

"Yeah, about that. I have a boyfriend, one I love very much, so no kissing. Got that?"

He blushed a little. "Got it."

"Good, because I don't want to have to knock your lights out."

He smiled at her. "Can I at least get a hug?"

She smiled back. "Always."

The two embraced each other, content to be in each others arms, as well as in each others lives. Despite the comfort the two felt at the moment, neither one of them could shake the nagging feeling that their troubles weren't over, not for a long shot.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO BerryDrops, Hex the Lyzanx, Romancelover1321, Little Miss Juliet, iBelieveInAngels, DaniellaTT, StarReader86, clarkLover1, chicagobabe, NegativeCloud, RoseXxxXThorn, TeenTitansFreakFan, mythica magic, Agent of the Divine One, Quibblo, Kick Ass Kids, Keirii, cookiesruletheworld, Fan of the toons, XxGraysonGirlxX, .Spaz-attack101, Errant Wrath, cookiegurl15 AND tennisgal456 FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE! YOU ALL ROCK! AND I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER!**

**SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS LATE EVERYONE. I'VE BEEN REALLY BUSY WITH TEST, SCHOOL, I GRADUATED THE WRITING PROGRAM I WAS IN... BUT YOU WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ANY OF THAT ANYMORE, BECAUSE MY LAST DAY OF SCHOOL IS THIS FRIDAY AND I HAVE THE WHOLE SUMMER FREE TO WORK ON THIS STORY, AND ANY SIDE STORIES I FEEL LIKE DOING, WINK-WINK.**

**OH, AND THIS STORY ONLY HAS TWENTY MORE CHAPTERS UNTIL IT'S DONE AND I START THE SEQUEL.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: IAN AND XAVIER BATTLE IT OUT. WHO WILL WIN?**

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	41. ReEducation through labor

A little over a week had passed since Kori's fall out and make up with Xavier. She was extremely happy that their friendship had managed to overcome the obstacle that was placed before them, but at the same time she was irked by the lack of communication between them. Ever since being expelled she hadn't seen much of Xavier, and his problems with Ian were expanding. That left little time to communicate via phone. The lack of contact, plus the daily news reports about increasing gang violence, was enough to make her become consumed with worry. It was as if she she sitting on pins.

She glanced at the Hello Kitty clock sitting on her dresser. Dick would be arriving soon for their date, and she was no where near ready. This didn't concern her though, she was a fast dresser. Besides, if she wanted to talk with Xavier, now was the perfect time.

Her left hand grabbed her cell phone and she called Xavier, oh how she loved speed dial, while her right hand fished around her draw for her new green top. Hopefully Komi didn't steal it, she thought.

Just as she retrieved her top, she heard his voice.

_"Hello?"_

A smile instantly appeared on her face as she opened up a new draw. She couldn't decide on whether or not to wear a skirt or jeans. "Hey. Long time no speak."

"_Kori_," she could hear the smile in his voice. "_What's up?"_

"I could ask you that very same question," she replied back tartly. She sighed, her tone becoming soft. "I've been trying to call you these past few days, but I've gotten no answer. I was really worried."

"_I'm sorry_," he apologized, feeling crummy. _"I meant to call you, but I've been really busy lately."_

"With Ian?"

He huffed. _"The guy is a serious nut job. A thorn in my side that I can't shake no matter what I do."_

"Is it really that bad?"

He sighed. _"So far we've been taking minor jabs at each other, but this is Ian we're talking about. I wouldn't be surprised if he was to make his move."_

"I don't understand," she said, confused with the mechanics of his business. "Make his move, what does that mean?"

He paused, trying to think of a way to explain in which she would understand. "_Well_,_" _he began, scratching his head. "_Think of it as if it was a game. Ian making a move is him trying to win the game."_

"Well, what do you think he'll do when he's ready to 'make his move'?"

_"Can't say. Ian's difficult to read_," he paused, deciding to change the subject, seeing as how he was saying more than he should. There was no need for Kori to know so much. The less she knew, the better. "_So how are you doing?"_

"Me?" she asked, surprised, but decided to answer him anyways. "Well, I'm fine. I'm just getting ready for a date with Dick."

"_Dick, huh_," he said, trying to hide the loathing in his voice. "_How you two holdin' up?"_

"Oh, we're fine. Stronger even. I think he's gotten past his whole jealously thing."

"_Right_...," he drawled, unconvinced.

"Anyways," she continued. "I'm trying to decide what to wear. So far I've got a green shirt, but that's it. Do you think I should wear a skirt or jeans?"

It was hard to believe she was asking his opinion about fashion.

_"Go with jeans_," he answered, after thinking about how much of a pervert Dick can be.

"Okay, skirt it is then!."

"_Hey! I said wear jeans_."

"I know, and I'm choosing the opposite," she giggled as she pulled out a denim skirt.

"_You're hilarious_," he said sarcastically. "_Well look, I gotta go. I promise to give you a call as soon as possible."_

"Xavier," she said softly. There was a seriousness to her tone.

"_Yeah?"_

"Promise me that you'll be okay."

There was no way he could guarantee that, but for her peace of mind he did. "_I promise."_

She smiled softly. "Thank you."

_"Bye, cutie."_

She couldn't help but giggle at the nickname before closing her phone. "Bye."

Clutching the phone in her hand, she paused, taking a long hard look at the device. Xavier would be fine. After all, he did promise.

A smile came to her face before she gathered up her things. She had a date to get ready for.

TT

Kitten waited with anticipation as she watched Ian walk around her room. It took a lot of convincing, as well as a bit of begging, for him to come over, but she did it. She finally had him all to herself. And in her room. Bonus.

He took small steps around her room, observing every detail. Because of his mannerism, she briefly wondered if her room was the first girl's room he had ever been in. Certain that it was, she felt a great swell of pride rise within her chest.

Her blue eyes watched him briefly peer into draws, flip through books and magazines, and run his fingers on the furniture and drapes. Finally, he took a seat on her bed, making sure to bounce a little after he did so. Once the bed halted movement, she sat down besides him, looking at him expectantly.

"Well?" she said finally.

"Well what?" was his response.

"Oh don't play dumb," she laughed a little before continuing. "What do you think of my room, silly?"

There was a long pause of silence before he finally answered her.

"I hate it."

Offended, she glared at him, her tone snappish. "Why?"

"Because there's to much pink."

"Says the boy who wears green everyday!" she bite back, though that wasn't much of an argument considering how she wore pink everyday.

"True, but at least my room is covered head to toe with green accessories."

She huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "Pink happens to be my favorite color."

"I don't care."

"Ugh, what is with you?" she snapped angrily, glaring daggers at him. "I invited you over so we could have some alone time, not so you could insult me. You should be honored that I'm even hanging out with you. I happen to be very popular."

He smirked at her, and before she even realized what was happening, she was pinned under him.

"Popular, huh?" he said, his tone low but still dangerous. "Well let me tell you something, Kitten... Popularity is nothing compared to the power I have. In fact, you're the one who should be honored to be with me."

Kitten remained silent, her mind connecting similarities between Ian and Fang. She hadn't realized it before, but the two were similar in some ways. The attraction she felt for him grew because of this. She wet her lips, eager for a kiss.

Ian smirked, leaned down as if to kiss her, building her hope, but swiftly pulled away before their lips could touch. He almost laughed at the look of confusion on her face, and promptly got off of her, only to move towards her door.

"Wait!" she cried out as she saw him leaving, snapping out of her stupor. "Is that it? I thought--"

"You thought wrong," he smirked at the frustrated look on her face and went over to her, lifting her chin with his index finger. They locked eyes. "You're starting to interest me, Kitten, so don't fret. You'll get a kiss soon enough."

"And what makes you think I'll wait around for you?" she said, hoping to gain the upper hand.

"You will. If not for my charm, than for my power. Now if you'll excuse me," he began, pulling away and letting himself out. "I have some very important business to attend to."

With that being said he left, slamming the door behind him, and leaving Kitten with hope that their next encounter would be soon.

TT

"Well, that's the last of it," Xavier announced, as the last box of his recent shipment was unloaded into his warehouse. "We should get going."

"Hear that boys," Billy shouted to the other gang members. "It's time to head on out!"

There was no complaints and little comments as everyone left the warehouse. Xavier, Billy, Seemore, and Micheal headed together in one direction, towards Xavier's car.

"I'm kinda surprised Ian didn't mess with this shipment," Seemore confessed, pausing in their walk. The others paused as well and looked at him.

"Maybe he decided to back off," Micheal suggested.

"That's not his style," Xavier said, fishing through his jacket pocket. "Perhaps he's working on something bigger and couldn't afford to do anything else."

"And what do you think that is?" Billy inquired.

"I wish I knew," Xavier said, before pushing the start button to his car keys.

Once he did that all hell broke loose.

TT

Once the button to Xavier's car keys was pressed, his car exploded. The tires either went flat or burn completely, the doors flew off, the glass shattered, and the body of the car was engulfed in flames. The explosion was enough to send Xavier and his comrades flying backwards, as well as to spread panic amongst the remaining gang members that were still in the area.

Xavier rolled onto his side and forced his body up. His hand rubbed his head, and his eyes slowly opened. Once he caught sight of his car in flames, his eyes widened. His mind seemed to recall how he had just cleaned his car yesterday. What a waste, he thought.

His thoughts didn't dwell on the lost of his car much longer thanks to the gunshots ringing through the air.

Xavier quickly jumped into action and pulled out his gun, running towards the side of a warehouse and pushing his back against the wall. He briefly poked his head out to glance around, hoping to spot where the enemy fire was emitting from. His eyes caught a figure on the roof shooting at his boys, and he pointed his gun upwards, firing three shots. The first one missed, and the second grazed the figure's shoulder. The third shot was the one that knocked him down.

He continued to hold his own quite well, but Xavier was relieved once he caught sight of Billy and Micheal.

"Billy! Micheal!" he revealed his location just long enough for them to spot him.

The two carefully maneuvered themselves in his direction, making sure that they didn't get shot while they did. Once they were close enough, they ran over to Xavier's side and pushed their backs against the wall.

Xavier glanced at them. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah," answered Micheal. "We're fine."

"Where's Seemore?" he asked.

"We don't know," Billy replied. "After your fucking car blew up things got more than a little crazy."

"This has to be the work of Ian," he said through gritted teeth. "Damn him!"

"So what's the plan, Xavier?"

"Sooner or later we're going to run out of bullets. We have no choice but to retreat and regroup. Once we do that we can make a counter attack on Ian."

"Right, so basically we have to get outta here alive."

"I like that plan."

"Good, so let's go," Xavier said, running down the alley that they were in. "I know this area like the back of my hand. We'll head towards the road that leads back into the city."

"I'm all for getting the fuck outta here."

The further the three ran the less gunshots they heard. They were a good distance away when Xavier's cell phone rang. He paused and took out his phone.

"Now isn't the time to chat," Billy said, looking around frantically for enemies.

"It could be Seemore," he responded, checking his phone. A look of relief crossed his features and he flipped the phone open. "Seemore, where the hell are you? Are you alright?"

_"I'm fine. I managed to get my hands on one of the enemies cars. Xavier, things are really bad. We gotta get out of here."_

"I couldn't agree with you more."

_"Do you know where Billy and Micheal are?"_

"They're with me."

_"What warehouse are you close to? I'll pick you guys up."_

"651," he answered. "Get here as fast as you can. We can't be in one place for to long."

_"Don't worry, I'm on my way."_

He shut his phone and placed it back in his pokcet. He looked at the others. "Seemore's on his way with our ticket out of here."

"So basically we're sitting ducks until he comes?"

"Look, he'll be here soon, so stop--" Xavier's sentence was cut short when he heard something in the distance.

Police sirens.

He cursed. The sirens sounded close.

"Hey!" a sleek blue car pulled up at the end of the warehouse. The window rolled down, revealing Seemore's face. "There's not much time, the cops are coming. Let's go!"

"You heard him, move it!"

Xavier, Billy, and Micheal ran towards the car. However, before they even got close, a gunshot was heard.

Xavier turned his head just in time to see Micheal fall limp to the ground. He reacted quickly, going to his comrade's side and lifting him up, his knees bending because of the weight. "Billy, help me bring him to the car!"

Billy snapped out of his stupor and ran to Xavier's side, pulling one of Micheal's arms over his shoulders once he got there. With both Xavier and Billy supporting Micheal, they all managed to get inside the car. Once they were inside, Seemore took off, driving as fast as he could.

TT

"I can't believe we just left him there," Xavier said softly, sitting by the window. He, Billy, and Seemore had come to an apartment he owned, reserved for when situations were tough. Once he and the others had arrived, they changed clothes. After that they had sat in silence, up until now.

"We had to," Billy said, his country accent thicker than normal. "We had no choice."

The two were referring to Micheal, whom they had left in front of the hospital. They made sure to contact an the hospital, which found their friend within minutes and taken him inside. They had watched from the shadows, then drove off to dispose of the car Seemore had stolen.

"Billy's right," Seemore said from his position on the couch. "We couldn't have brought him ourselves. They would have forced us to stay until the cops showed up for questioning. The last thing Micheal would have wanted is for us to get caught."

Xavier clenched his fist and punched the wall. He stood up and headed for the front door.

"Where are you going?"

"Out," he rested his hand on the doorknob. "While I'm gone I want you two to contact everyone we know. We're taking care of Ian _tonight."_

TT

Kori released a giggle when she felt Dick's hands wander across her belly. He placed butterfly kisses on her neck, his arms wrapping around her as he moved in to kiss her on the lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. As his hands began to trail lower, she put her hands on his chest, pushing him away and ending their kiss.

"Dick," she began angrily, eyes narrowed. "What if the neighbors are watching?"

"Let them watch," he said before leaning in for another kiss. She kissed him back, and it wasn't until the need for air became so overwhelming that they pulled away. He smiled at her. "So who's home?"

She was surprised by his question. "Um... no one. My parents and Ryan are out of town. And Raven's at the library, and Komi went out with Donna."

"Kori," he began softly, holding her hands in his own, his eyes shining with deep intensity. "Let's go inside."

The way she was looking at him with her wide eyes he thought for sure she would say yes. What he didn't expect was for her to laugh and slap his shoulder.

"Nice try, Dick, but this time you're doing your book report on your own. And besides, Bruce is still pretty steamed that you broke curfew last week, so I doubt he'd let you stay over, even if it's just for a class assignment."

Dick blinked in confusion, but shook his head, shaking off his stupor. "No, Kori, you've got it all wrong. I wanted us to--"

She kissed his cheek, making his sentence die on his tongue. "Get home safe. I love you."

"I love you, too," he responded like a love sick puppy. It wasn't until she closed the door behind her that he snapped out of it. "Wait, Kori!" He hung his head as he made his way back to his car, releasing a sigh. "Another chance gone."

Meanwhile... Kori made her way up the stairs and to her room. Her date with Dick had been perfect. Not only had he taken her to the park so they could have a picnic, but he made the food himself, with Alfred's help of course. After that he took her to the amusement park so they could go on the Ferris wheel, her favorite ride. She sighed, feeling happy. She couldn't wait to change and write about her day in her diary.

Opening the door to her room, she stepped inside, shutting the door behind herself. Her hands went to her shirt, and she proceeded to strip the garment off.

"Kori?"

Kori froze, her eyes widening as she turned around slowly. To her surprise she saw Xavier standing there, his eyes equally wide, and they both went red in the face. It was then that realization dawned on Kori. Here she was, shirtless and in her bra, with Xavier standing not that far from her. It also dawned on her that she hadn't let him in, meaning he _broke_in. All of this combined was enough to make Kori scream at the top of her lungs and throw anything she could get her hands on at Xavier.

TT

Xavier rubbed his head, his cheeks red. "Sorry..."

Kori, who sat with her knees drawn to her chest on her bed, was blushing as well. "I'm sorry, too..."

After she had calmed down and stopped throwing things at him, she quickly pulled on her shirt and helped him to his feet, but the embarrassment of the situation had led them to jump far away from each other once she did. Currently, she sat on her bed, and he leaned against the wall opposite of her.

"So... mind telling me why you broke into my house?"

"I didn't break in," he countered, but the look she gave him was enough to make him back down. "Okay, I guess I sorta did... but it was only because no one was home and I needed to see you, needed to talk to you... I figured I'd just wait for you, so I climbed up the wall and been waiting on your balcony."

She figured something serious must have happened if he was crazy enough to do that. "What happened?"

"We were attacked by Ian."

"Ian attacked you?!" she cried, leaning forward. Suddenly she felt guilty for having such a wonderful day with Dick.

"There's no proof that he did, but I'm telling you, it was him. Who else would wire my car to explode," he muttered.

"You're car exploded!" she shouted in surprise. It was weird how she felt her head was about to do the same thing.

"Yeah," Kori was shocked at how he made it sound like no big deal. He continued. "And right after that a huge shoot out starts. People from both side fell, but..."

"But what?" she pressed. She saw the look of hurt on his face and became worried. "Xavier, what happened?"

"Micheal got shot in the head... and I don't know if he's alive or not."

"Oh, Xavier," she couldn't stop herself from going to his side and embracing him.

Xavier clung to her, pulling her closer. "Kori... It's all my fault. Dammit, it's all my fault! I'm supposed to be his friend! I'm supposed to look out for him!"

"Xavier, it's not your fault," she said softly, rubbing his back. "You can't protect everyone."

"That's sweet of you to say, Kori... but it isn't true."

She pulled away from him, cupping his face. "Listen to me! You are not to blame for Ian's actions."

His eyes narrowed and he pulled away from her. "Ian is a _dead_ man."

"I know Ian is a horrible person, but you don't mean that," Kori desperately searched through his eyes. "... do you?"

"This is the way things have to be," he answered softly.

"Oh, bullshit!" she snapped, glaring at him. "Even if you do manage to kill Ian what then, huh?! There will just be another enemy, more killings and constant danger! It's all just so stupid! Why can't you just end things peacefully?!"

"Because that's not the way things work! You have to kill to survive! That's just the way it is! There's no such thing as peace in thiss line of work!"

"Well why not call the police and let them handle it? You can put a stop to him that way, can't you?"

He sighed in frustration. "You just don't get it...," he glanced at her. "I can't call the police. If I do, the word would spread, and then I'll have painted a target on my back. My enemies, my allies, even my own people, would want me dead after that."

Kori said nothing, and walked away from him. She sat on her bed, her head hanging low in defeat. There was nothing she could do or say to change his mind. He was going after Ian, and that was that, even if it meant losing his life. For all she knew this could be their last time together. That thought alone was enough to bring her to tears, and she began to sob uncontrollably.

Xavier reached out a hand to her, but withdrew it, deciding to leave. He hated leaving her like this, but he had a mission to do, and that was to destroy Ian.

TT

Even though the doors to Linger were closed, a celebration was being held inside. Ian, who acquired Linger after the death of Jonny, raised a glass from the bar, initiating a toast. Tonight was a special night for him, after all. Tonight he had inflicted a major blow to Xavier's gang, it was cause enough for a celebration.

"People, people, please," he began coolly, a smirk present on his face as usual. "Let's have a moment to bask in glory over Xavier's defeat. Now that he's gone, we will rule Jump City! No organization shall dare oppose us!"

He heard cheering from the crowd, and he felt his chest swell with pride. Nothing could upset this moment. Nothing.

He was wrong with that assumption.

The good mood quickly turned into one of chaos when a fire broke out on the upper level of the club. People scrambled for the front doors in a desperate attempt to flee, but Ian remained at the bar, his eyes wide with fascination as he watched the flames burn whatever they touched.

This was no accident.

He laughed darkly. Looks like my fun isn't over yet, he thought in amusement, taking out his cell phone. "Alphonse, bring the car around."

He shut his phone and jumped from the bar, heading as fast as he could to the back door, just as the sound of bullets rang through his ears.

TT

Xavier was perched on top of a rooftop not far from Linger, arms crossed as the night chill brushed against him. "Seemore, do you see Ian?"

Seemore, who had binoculars in hand, searched through the chaotic scene below. "There's no sign of him... Wait... A car just sped past! Do you think--"

"It's him," Xavier said darkly, already heading towards the fire escape. "C'mon, we're chasing him down!"

TT

Ian laughed wickedly. "I can't believe that son of a bitch survived! After all the trouble I went through to eliminate him, he cheats death!"

He continued to laugh, and Alphonse, a boy with light skin and blonde hair, continued to focus on the road ahead of him. He remained expressionless until he caught sight of something in his side mirror. "Ian," his voice was soft, but masculine. "We're being followed."

"Excellent!" he said joyously, taking out his phone. "I'll call the boys so they can join our after party."

"Is there a specific location you would like to go for your party?"

"That old abandoned neighborhood I like so much. I doubt anyone will interfere there."

"Very well," he replied blandly, picking up speed with a laughing Ian by his side.

TT

The chase had lead Xavier and his followers into an area unknown to him. The only facts he knew about the area was that it was old, abandoned, and the politicians in Jump City couldn't decide what to do with the place. A feud about how to design the area had been going on for years nonstop. Xavier wondered why Ian chose here of all places.

"Dammit, I lost 'em!" Billy cursed from behind the steering wheel.

"That's fine," Xavier began. "We'll get out here and search for him. He can't be to far, and we can take them by surprise if we leave the car."

"You're the boss man," Billy said, pulling the car over and parking it. The other cars that followed, the ones filled with other members of Xavier's gang, stopped as well. Everyone filed out after that, dividing into groups and splitting up. Xavier, Billy, Seemore, and a couple of others went in one direction. They didn't travel that far of a distance before they came under fire, luckily, no one got hurt, seeing as how they all managed to take cover just in time.

Bullets soared everywhere, piercing objects, piercing skin. Xavier managed to get his hits, but he was growing frustrated. The one he wanted was Ian, not his lackies. He and Billy ducked into an alley, narrowly avoiding being shot. It was at this time that Billy got a good look at his friend, a clear look at his eyes. Never before had he seen such rage burning within Xavier, and he knew where that wrath was emitting from.

"Xavier," he began. "Go on after Ian, we'll hold down the fort."

Had the situation been different, he would have refused. "You sure?"

"Yeah. But if you die I swear I'll kill you."

Xavier said nothing, but merely nodded. Billy nodded back. That simple action said everything that needed to be said between the two of them, without actually saying any words. The moment ended, and Xavier took off down the alley.

Billy watched him go, then sighed. His eyes narrowed, and he clutched the two guns in his hands, jumping from the alley and shooting wildly. "Come and get it you sons of bitches!"

Meanwhile... Xavier was hot on Ian's trail, having found his enemy soon after leaving the battle. The blonde teen had revealed himself to Xavier as soon as he separated from the group, only to run off laughing. Xavier followed, and now caught sight of Ian running into a building.

TT

Xavier paused to catch his breath, and took his time to observe the building Ian ran into just moments before. One could tell it was old and abandoned by taking in the sight of it. The building was pathetic, almost all the paint had chipped, the fire escape on the side was moments away from detaching, the front doors were missing, and the windows were either gone or boarded up. The building screamed safety hazard and spelled out accident waiting to happen, but Xavier didn't care. The only thing he cared about at the moment was stopping Ian.

He entered the building cautiously, gun aimed and ready to fire. His face scrunched up in disgust at the sight of spider webs and dust, and he nearly jumped at the sound of a rat scurrying across the floor. He glared at nothing in particular and continued on, feeling as if he was in a haunted house.

His feet took him up the stairs, seeing as how the elevator was of no use, and took a look around. No Ian. His mind began to wonder where he was hiding, and he didn't sense the danger that was lurking until it was to late.

He was tackled from behind, his body being slammed face first into an old door, and his arm, which wielded his gun, was twisted behind his back, the gun slipping from his very finger tips.

"Surprise!" Ian shouted madly, shoving Xavier's face further into the rusted door, his grip on his arm tightening.

Xavier tried to shake him off, but couldn't. His eyes went wide at the sound of squeaking, and to the surprise of both boys, the door collapsed, causing both boys to tumble into the living room of an apartment.

Xavier took his chance to kick Ian away, and quickly made a dash for his gun. He grabbed it, but Ian was on him in an instant, pouncing like a lion to its prey. The two boys struggled for the gun, shots being fired off in the process, and glared fiercely at each other. Xavier growled and bashed his head against Ian's, causing his foe to fall back, clutching his bleeding nose. He took this opportunity to aim his weapon, and pulled his trigger finger back to shoot.

_Click. Click. Click._

Xavier's eyes went wide. The damned thing was empty. He quickly reacted and went to pull out his spare bullets, but found his pocket to be empty.

"Looking for these," Ian chuckled, waving a small package of bullets. He gripped them in his hand tightly and made a dash towards the elevator.

Xavier followed him, and saw Ian stop the moment he reached the elevator. The doors were gone, revealing a deep pit of darkness. It was if staring at an endless hole in the ground. Ian smirked, and threw the package into the dark abyss.

"So sorry, Xavier," he said, not sorry at all, his smirk becoming broader. "Did you need those? Aw, now I feel so bad. I know! I'll share some of my bullets with you."

With that being said, he took out the gun he had been concealing and aimed it at Xavier.

Xavier moved with incredible speed, taking off just as Ian let loose a bombardment of bullets. He was quick enough to escape, but a few bullets grazed his skin, making him wince, but not hindering him from running.

"This is so much fun," Ian commented as he went after Xavier in a slow pace. There was no need to run after him, after all, he could find him easily thanks to his trail of blood.

Ian proceeded to follow the trail, it leading him up the stairs and to a closed door of an apartment. He kicked the door open, and his eyes immediately narrowed.

The trail was gone.

"That sneaky bastard," he uttered, stepping inside. "Come out, come out, wherever you are! I know you're in here Xavier."

He paused, hearing a sound being emitted from the closet, and he immediately opened fire, shooting until the gun was empty. He smiled, expecting to see a pool of blood arching towards his feet, but there was nothing, only silence. Frustrated with the lack of blood shed, he opened the closet door in a fit of anger. His eyes widened upon seeing no body, but rather a few rats that scurried past his feet.

"Hey, Ian!"

Ian turned around and saw Xavier aiming a punch at him. "Take this!"

Ian's eyes widened when he spotted the blade Xavier wielded in his fist.

Blood spilled, and Ian fell to the floor, the gun he had in his hand falling into an a hole in the floor. Ian's shaking hands went to his face and he touched his injury, blood staining his finger tips upon contact. He didn't get a chance to do anything more, because Xavier quickly jumped him.

Ian's hands grabbed Xavier's wrist, hindering him from using his knife again, and the two tossed and turned, struggling to gain the upper hand. Ian landed a punch, and he used his now free hand to knock the knife away from Xavier, sending it sliding under a torn up sofa.

Now without his weapons Xavier relied on brute force, and him and Ian were locked in a fist match, their fight being similar to that of boxing. Xavier punched Ian in the face, his vulnerable spot, and the force of his punch sent Ian flying against the wall. He followed in on his assault and attempted to strangle him. His plan failed when his foe kicked him in the ribs and pushed him backwards.

With a roar of fury Ian tackled Xavier, sending the both of them colliding out the window.

TT

His head was hurting, and he fought with himself in order to open his eyes. His vision managed to focus, and things became clear. He took in his surroundings, his eyes flying open in surprise as he took in the sight.

Why the hell was he in Linger? And more importantly, where was Ian?

Xavier attempted to move his body, but found that he could not for two reasons. One, his body was in immense pain, and two, he was tied down to a chair. He turned his head to the side, looking around. The inside of Linger was in pretty good shape, save for the upper level, despite the fact that he set the place up to burn. His eyes drifted to his bound legs and hands, and his head drifted to the side. A table resided close to him, covered with a white sheet. Something laid under the sheet, he could tell due to the bulges. There was another chair as well, and he had a pretty good idea at who would be taking that seat.

He didn't have to wait long for his guess to be proved correct.

Ian strolled into the room, a bandage going across his face and covering his forehead. His face seemed strained when he walked, an abnormal look compared to his usual dark smirk.

Xavier's eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth. "Ian, you fucking bastard!"

"Are you always so hostile?" Ian inquired, standing in front of him. Xavier wished more than anything that he wasn't tied down. "Besides," he continued, his hand grabbing a fistful of the white sheet before yanking it off, discarding it the floor. "I didn't come here to argue with you."

Xavier's eyes went wide at what he saw on the table. A gun, knife, lighter, and rope were all lined up in a row. "The hell..."

Ian picked up the knife and took a seat, dragging his chair closer to Xavier so they were face to face. Once he was comfortable, his usual smirk became present on his face. "You know, I thought for sure we were both goners when we fell from that window. Luckily for us it wasn't to far up."

Xavier remained silent, his eyes focused on the knife Ian held.

"I'm actually glad you survived," Ian continued. "It gives me a chance to repay you for the cut you left on my face." He pointed the blade at Xavier's chest, right above where a certain organ lurked beneath. "I wonder...," he began softly, pushing the point of the blade into Xavier's skin, just enough to draw blood. "Just how loud you'd scream if I was to carve out your heart."

His eyes flickered dangerously, and he swiftly cut a diagonal line across Xavier's chest, drawing blood. Xavier bit his lip, refusing to release any noise of pain. The white shirt he was wearing quickly began to turn red.

"I know," Ian began wickedly, pointing his knife at Xavier's chest once more. "How about I make an X. You know, and X for _X_avier." He dragged the knife slowly across his foe's chest, making sure to drag out the pain. "There we are, all done!" he pulled the knife back, chuckling. "How do you feel, Xavier? Don't you just love it?"

His voice was rugged. "Fuck you."

"You should be more respectful towards me, considering your life is in my hands. I can easily stab you and let you bleed to death. I can even strangle you, or shoot you if I please. Hell," his tone was one of amusement. "I can even set you on fire. I rather enjoy the idea of the last one, don't you?"

Xavier said nothing and merely stared.

"Come on, Xavier," he jeered. "Which way would you prefer to die? By knife? Rope? Gun? Lighter?"

"Preferably, I rather like handling business with a gun."

Ian's eyes went wide when he felt the coldness of a barrel being pressed against the back of his head.

"You know," said the calm, but clearly angry, voice that owned the gun. "It really pisses me off when someone messes with my brother."

"Brother," Ian uttered softly. This was news to him. "May I get a look at you?"

"I wouldn't mind seeing the face of the punk that's been raising hell. Turn around."

Ian did as he was told and raised himself from his seat, turning around to Xavier's brother. He immediately saw the resemblance between the two, except this 'brother' character had shorter hair and was much taller and bolder looking.

"Long time no see, huh, Jason," Xavier said softly, a smile coming to his lips. Despite the situation he was in, he couldn't stop the swell of happiness that the sight of his brother gave him.

"You sit tight, Xavier," Jason said, his eyes locked with Ian's. "I'll have you out of here in no time."

Ian chuckled. "You can't honestly think you're getting out of here that easily. You see, I didn't come here alone. Emilio, Hector, Ralph! Teach our guest a lesson!"

Much to Ian's surprise, nothing happened. The look of confusion on his face was enough to make Jason laugh.

"What's so funny?!" he demanded, not liking the situation one bit.

"Did you honestly believe that I came here myself," he grinned. "Girls, you can come out now."

Ian's eyes flew upwards to view the upper level. Three girls came out. One with short auburn hair dressed in all black dragged behind her the limp bodies of Emilio, Hector, and Ralph. He couldn't tell if they were dead or not, and he honestly didn't give a damn. The next girl had blonde hair tied in a high ponytail, and a scowl graced her features. Both of her hands held a gun, both of which she aimed at him. The last girl was a blonde, too, but with a few streaks of black and red hair.

The last girl leaned against the railing. "I'd never thought I'd see you in this type of position, Xavier."

"Nice to see you, too, Amy," he replied enthusiastically. He glanced at the girl wielding the guns. "You, too, Mia."

"Likewise," she said shortly, her lips curving into the smallest of smiles.

His eyes landed on the last girl with auburn hair. She was Micheal's older sister, Selinda. He turned his head away, feeling to much guilt to even face her.

He didn't get a chance to dwell on his guilty conscious much longer thanks to the echo of Ian's laughter. "What's so funny?"

"You all think you've won, right? Well hate to break it to you, but I still have an ace up my sleeve."

Jason's eyes narrowed. "Explain yourself."

"Over by the bar there's a bomb that will only explode if triggered by the controller, which my good friend Alphonse just so happens to have. Kill me and this place goes _boom _with you all in it."

"You're bluffing."

"Check if you don't believe me. I'm sure your pretty little blonde friend with the guns will be more than willing to keep an eye on me."

Jason doubted the honesty of his words, but went behind the bar anyways. He swore loudly when his eyes landed on a rectangular object with wires attached.

"Believe me now?" he chuckled. "And don't bother trying to disable it, it'll explode if you try."

Silence consumed them all, and Mia was the first to break it.

"Why don't we just kill him and leave," she suggested. "It's not like his friend is here."

"Ah, but that's were you're wrong. Not only are there several cameras in which Alphonse can see us with, but he can hear us as well," he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing bandages, most likely caused by his fall from the window, as well as a small device taped to his chest. "I'm wearing a wire."

There was a long pause.

"Alright, Ian," Jason snapped. "The only way any of us will make it out of here alive is if we negotiate. How about it?"

He smirked. "That sounds reasonable."

TT

Selinda sat by her younger brother's bedside in a dull hospital room. She had a magazine in hand, and was just about to flip to the next page when a soft knock was heard. Having left the door open, she turned her body to see who it was. Her eyes fell upon Xavier.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," a tiny smile came to her face. "Come sit with me."

He did as he was told and took the empty seat besides her. "How is he?"

"He'll survive, but the doctors don't know when he'll wake up... or if he'll wake up at all."

His shoulders slumped in guilt. "I'm sorry. It's my fault he's in this condition."

"Don't be an idiot, Xavier. You're not to blame. Micheal chose to join your gang knowing the consequences. And besides, I doubt he'd appericate you dumping all over yourself," she turned to him, eyes slightly narrowed. "So quit feeling guilty!"

There was no way he was going to argue with that. No one argued with Selinda, not even Micheal, who was afraid of her most of the time.

There was a long pause, and Selinda was the one to break it. "How did Billy and Seemore take the news?"

"They took it better than I expected, but they still can't accept the fact that I'm leaving."

"They'll survive, after all it's not forever."

Xavier nodded and stood up. He still had one more spot to make before leaving town.

TT

Myan, with a newspaper in hand, was glad to be home after a short business trip. His nose caught the scent of cookies in the air and he smiled. Luan was baking. He started his way over to the kitchen, but just as he passed the front door the doorbell rang. He turned around and went to go answer it. A frown came to his face when he saw who it was.

"Oh, it's _you_. What do you want?"

"I came to see Kori. Can I speak to her?" he paused. "Please."

He frowned and glared, but called Kori down anyway. "Kori, your friend is here!"

It wasn't long before he saw her coming down the stairs, dressed in simple shorts and a purple tank top. She looked stunning to him no matter what she wore. Her eyes landed on him as she made her way down, and he saw the joy that lighted her eyes and the smile that came to her face. She ran the rest of the way, and upon reaching him she enveloped him in a hug, burying her face in his chest as tears filled her eyes. He smiled at her despite the pain he was feeling due to her tight embrace, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Xavier! I thought I would never see you again," she murmured softly, tears spilling from her eyes. "It's been three days, and you never called. I thought..." She shook her head, dispelling any bad thoughts, a smile coming her face. "None of that matters. You're hear and you're safe."

He wanted nothing more than to continue holding her, but he knew the longer he did the harder things would be for the both of them. "Kori, there's something I need to tell you," he said, pulling away from her. "Look, there's no easy way to say this so I'll just get it over with... I'm leaving Jump City."

Her eyes went wide. "What? Why?"

"It's complicated, and I don't have time to explain," he jabbed his thumb behind him towards the direction of a black jeep. His brother and Mia were waiting. "I have to leave soon."

"For how long?" she asked after a long pause, rubbing her eyes in attempt to make the tears go away, but the attempt was a futile one.

"I don't know," he answered. "Could be a few months, could be a few years."

"Okay...," she ran a hand through her hair, trying not to freak out, and looked up at him. "But you're going to come back, right? And we can keep in touch?"

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I promise you that I'll come back one day... but I think it's best for us to not contact each other until then."

"But that's not fair! Xavier, I can't lose you!" she clung to him, crying all over again. "You're one of my closest friends, I don't want you to leave! I need you in my life!"

He pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back. "It's not forever, Kori, and in the meantime I know you'll be fine. You're a strong girl, and besides...," he looked up to see Dick standing at the edge of the stairs. "You have people you can count on."

She slowly turned her head, following his line of sight, and her eyes took in the sight of Dick. Xavier pulled away from her slightly.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Dick said. "I just came down to ask Kori something." He turned, ready to head back up the stairs. "Sorry. I'll leave you two alone."

"No, it's cool. I have to leave anyways," he turned towards Kori and placed a kiss on her forehead. Pulling away, he smiled at her, his words coming out in a whisper. "I promise we'll see each other again."

The way he spoke to her made her believe in his words. She smiled at him and nodded.

He turned his attention towards Dick, glaring at him yet smiling at the same time. "Take good care of her, Grayson. If you don't I'll kick your ass."

Dick smiled back at him, and for the first time ever he felt at ease with Xavier around. Whether it was because he was leaving or something deeper, he had no clue, but it was enough for him to go up to Xavier and shake his hand. The two nodded at each other. They fought about a lot of things, but protecting Kori was something they could both agree on.

Xavier then walked away and got into the jeep waiting for him, it driving away as soon as he was inside. He leaned his head back, silently saying good bye to Jump City. For now at least.

Kori and Dick watched the vehicle drive off, and once it was out of sight Dick rubbed Kori's arms and placed a soft kiss on her head. "Are you okay?"

There was a pause, but finally she smiled at him. "Yeah."

She had no reason to be upset, Xavier would return one day. After all, he did promise.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO Quibblo, Hex the Lyzanx, Romancelover1321, BerryDrops, mythica magic, .Spaz-attack101, clarkLover1, TeenTitansFreakFan, Kick Ass Kids, RoseXxxXThorn, iBelieveInAngels, cookiegurl15, Daniella TT, Little Miss Juliet AND cookiesruletheworld FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST! I HOPED EVERYONE LIKED THIS CHAPTER!**

**-releases a breath of air- FINALLY! THIS CHAPTER IS DONE! THIS IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE EVER MADE... SO DID I UPDATE FAST ENOUGH? IF YOU THINK YES LET ME TELL YOU WHY... I'M FINALLY ON SUMMER VACATION! THANK YOU LORD! NOW I HAVE MORE TIME TO WORK ON MY STORIES.**

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**NEXT CHAPTER: YOUNG LOVE COMES WITH A LOT OF THINGS; TRUST, FRIENDSHIP... AND AN **_**ENGAGEMENT**_**! WHICH COUPLE IS MAKING PLANS FOR A WEDDING? **

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	42. All that glitters is not gold

"You know something, Toni," Alain began as his hand ran across her wall. She had gotten a new wallpaper design for her room, covering up the white wall she had before. "I really like this new wallpaper you got. It's really cool."

She grinned at him, pausing in her work. "I thought you might like it."

Her new wallpaper was a picture of the ocean with different species of fish surrounded by coral reefs, and at the bottom there was a sunken ship with an open treasure chest. At first she was going to pick an outer space design, but she couldn't resist the ocean wallpaper. It reminded her of Alain.

"One last stitch and...," Toni tugged her needle and thread, then cut it with her black scissors. She tied it, then smiled brightly, holding up her newest creation. "I'm done! What do you think, Alain?"

He took a moment to observe her latest masterpiece. It was a pair of boys jeans with tears in them. A chain was attached to the pocket and belt loop, and the jeans were a dark blue color. On the right leg the word 'revolution' was spelled out on a sword.

"Well," she pressed. "Do you like it?"

"I think it looks great," he gave her a thumbs up. "Very creative."

"Great, I'm glad you think so," she looked at him with innocent doe eyes. "Because I need you to do me a favor."

He eyed her with curiosity, slightly worried. Toni could be very devious at times, and he was thinking now was one of those times. He gulped. "What is it?"

"Could you try these on for me?" she smiled at him, adding fuel to the fire. She would make him crumple.

"Not that I'm saying no, but... Why me?"

"Because you're the only boy here... And plus I made it in your size."

Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. "Toni..."

"What's the big deal? You said you like them," she sniffled, fake tears coming to her eyes. "Or was that a lie?"

"No, no, it wasn't! I really do like them, but...," he sighed again, this wasn't going well. "Why do I always have to be the one to try on your male designs? It makes me feel as if I'm some Ken doll."

He wasn't going down easy this time, so she decided to bring out the big guns.

"I understand, Alain. Don't even worry about it, it's cool... I guess this just proves I don't have what it takes to be a fashion designer," she sighed pitifully. "It was a nice dream."

That acting performance she did pulled at his heart strings, and he reluctantly succumbed. "Alright... I'll try the jeans on."

She tackled him in a hug and repeatedly gave him kisses on his cheek. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best boyfriend in the world, Alain!"

His cheeks turned red instantly, and he couldn't stop the smile that formed on his lips. "Uh... well, I guess I should try these on now."

She gave him the jeans and a small push in the direction of her walk in closet. "Change in there. I can't wait to see how it looks."

He did as he was told and went in the closet. Once the doors closed behind him, she snickered.

"Ha ha, sucker."

"I heard that!"

"Hey! Less yapping and more changing," she said before giggling. She turned and jumped on her bed, eager to see Alain and how he looked in the jeans she made.

Ever since career day she discovered she wanted to be a fashion designer. She already loved clothes, so it didn't come as much of a shock to her that she wanted to design her own. After reading and taking a few classes after school, she became almost a natural at sewing.

Using her imagination she drew her own designs in a sketch book, then with her new found talent she brought some of her creations to life. But it wasn't enough designing only clothes for girls, so she took a shot at making clothes for boys as well. That's when Alain came in.

Any articles of clothing she made for girls she tried on herself, but she officially dubbed Alain as her personal male model. Without informing him. And besides, it wasn't as if minded. He was always so helpful and supportive, it was one of the many things she adored about him.

"So how do I look?" he asked, stepping out from the closet.

She sat up, her smile becoming wider. "You look awesome! But...," she started, a frown coming to her face. "Somethings not right."

He eyed himself. "What? I don't have something on my face, do I?"

"No, but," she pointed at his chest. "Your shirt clashes with the jeans! Take if off so I can admire the jeans fully."

"You're the boss," he commented, ready to remove his shirt.

Suddenly, she stopped.

She looked at him, and their eyes locked. "Let me."

He froze and she removed his shirt, biting her lip as not to laugh. Alain was so easy to get all hot and bothered. She stepped back and admired his tone chest and muscles. The swim team did him well.

Her eyes then drifted lower to settle on the jeans, and she asked him to turn around slowly. He did, and she observed the jeans fully. Finally, she looked up at his tomato red face.

"It looks perfect," she announced, grinning ear to ear. "I'll have to design a shirt to go with it, but other than that I say we have a winner."

"That's good," he murmured, wishing he could jump off a cliff. Why was it that Toni took joy in getting him all flustered? "Can I take them off now?"

"Sure, go ahead."

He mumbled his thanks and turned around, accidentally bumping into her wooden desk. The force of his body was enough to make the table shake, and Toni's cherry soda happened to spill because of it. The liquid spilled from the cup, and landed directly on Toni's jeans.

She shrieked in terror, her arms waving widely. "Ah, Alain! Take off the pants before they stain!"

"I'm trying," he responded, fingers tugging at the zipper. "But it won't come off!"

She gritted her teeth angrily, and shoved him on the bed. "This calls for girl power!"

Her hands went to the zipper, and she tugged as hard as she could, but to no avail. The zipper was stuck. She continued to try, her temper rising in the process. She needed to hurry and remove the jeans, or else the stain would remain.

"Dammit, Alain, I want these jeans off of you now! I need them off right now! I can't wait anymore!"

It was at that moment the zipper gave, and Toni's eyes widened in relief. She hurried and pulled the jeans off. If she moved quickly she could get the stain remover from her desk.

She was in such a rush she didn't even notice the ball on the floor. Her foot landed on it, and her body fell backwards. Toni then landed on Alain, who was just raising himself up from the bed, and found herself straddling him.

Both of their eyes widened, and their faces turned red, the jeans forgotten.

They were on her bed, and she was straddling him while wearing a skirt. Not only was he not wearing pants, but he was shirtless as well.

The two realized the situation they were in, but neither of them moved. They were frozen in shock.

It was at that moment her bedroom door opened and her stepfather walked in, his tone furious. "What the hell is going on in here?!"

His eyes landed on them, and a look of rage came open his face.

It was at that moment both Alain and Toni thought the same thing; This is _so_ not good!

TT

Toni's stepfather, also known as Carl, had a tight grip on Alain's arm, and it only got tighter as the two descended down the stairs. Right behind them followed Toni, who kept shouting for him to let Alain go and that they didn't do anything wrong. They landed on the foyer and Toni's mother, also known as Claudia, emerged from the living room.

"What's going on?" she asked, confusion settling in on her face. "Did I miss something?"

"Yes," Toni pointed a finger at Carl. "He's being a jerk! Tell him to get his hands off of Alain!"

"Claudia," Carl's voice was calm, but it was clear he was losing his temper. Unfortunately for Alain this meant his grip got a whole lot stronger. "Take Toni into the living room and wait for me there. I need to take out the trash."

Claudia only nodded and, putting her hands on Toni's shoulders, lead her daughter into the living room. Toni and Alain managed to lock eyes before this happened, and they mouthed words to each other.

_'I'm sorry' _she said.

_'Me, too' _he said, before being lead out the door by Carl.

Once they were alone outside, Carl roughly pushed Alain away from him, nearly making him fall. Luckily for Alain he caught his balance in time.

"Listen up you punk, and listen good," Carl snapped, glaring daggers at him. To Alain he resembled a ferocious dog. "I want you to stay away from my daughter. She's a good girl, and she doesn't need a delinquent like you in her life!"

"But, sir--"

Carl turned around, his hand on the doorknob. "If I catch you anywhere near her I'll have you arrested," he opened the door and stepped inside. "I'm warning you now, stay the hell away from Toni. Or else."

He slammed the door, and Alain couldn't help but feel as if a part of him died inside.

Meanwhile... Carl made his way to the living room, and found Claudia and an angry looking Toni waiting for him.

"It's okay now, Toni," Carl said softly, the angry beast within him settling down. "He's gone now and he can't hurt you anymore."

"Hurt me?" she spluttered. That was the stupidest thing she had ever heard in her life. Alain couldn't even hurt a fly. She glared daggers at the man before her. "What are you, retarded? Alain would _never_ hurt me. He _cares_ about me!"

"I have to agree with Toni," Claudia told Carl, who looked at her in shock. They were supposed to be a united team. "Alain's been nothing but polite and respectful. He's a decent kid."

"Decent? That punk is anything but decent!" he responded furiously. "He was naked in bed with our daughter!"

Gasping in horror, Claudia's eyes gazed at Toni. "Is this true?"

"Yes...," Toni looked down blushing, but shook her head and looked back at her mother. "But we weren't naked!"

"Oh, pardon me for neglecting to mention he was only in his boxers," Carl spat venomously.

"Toni!" Claudia scolded.

"Look, you two have this all wrong. We weren't doing anything! This is all just a big misunderstanding."

"Would you care to explain yourself then?"

She nodded, and began to tell them everything. By the time she finished her story, Carl and Claudia were eyeing her in disbelief. "And that's what happened before he," she narrowed her eyes at Carl. "Came barging in."

There was a long pause after she finished, but Carl broke the silence.

"You don't honestly expect us to believe that," he said. "We're not idiots, Toni. And you should be ashamed for lying to us."

"But I'm telling the truth!" she shouted. She looked at her mother with pleading eyes. "You believe me, don't you mom?"

Her mother looked away. "Toni... it's not a very convincing story."

"But it's true! I have the jeans I made upstairs to prove it!"

"Enough of this!" Carl bellowed, enraged. "Toni, you are forbidden to be with that boy!"

"You can't do that!" she screamed, enraged as well. There was no way she was going to let Carl tear Alain away from her. She'd poke out her own eye first.

"I most certainly can," he countered. They resembled a battle of power and respect more than a parent and child. "I'm your father! You have to obey--"

"First of all, you are _not _my father! You are my _step_father," she pointed out. "And second, if you think you can just boss me around you have another thing coming!"

"This is not open for discussion, Toni," he growled, rather peeved by her disrespect. "You are to stay away from that boy. End of discussion!"

Toni turned to her mother. "Mom, please talk some sense into him."

Her mother stood by Carl's side. "I'm sorry, Toni, but I think it would be best for you to do as Carl says."

"But you can't tear us apart!" she cried, hands clenching. She squeezed her eyes shut. She _refused _to cry. "You just can't!"

"And why not?

"Why is this boy so special?"

"Because... because...," Toni was at a loss for words.

What could she possibly say to convince them to let her continue seeing Alain? Because he was her boyfriend? Because they cared about each other? No, that wasn't enough. They were married and adults. Things such as teenagers caring for each other were silly and unimportant to them. She needed to prove to them that what Alain and she shared was real, that they had something worth fighting for, that they deserved to be kept intact like any other couple... or any other married couple.

Toni's eyes widened. She knew how to convince them.

"Well, Toni," began Carl. "Give us one good reason why we should allow you to continue seeing this boy."

There was a long pause.

"Because," she answered finally. "He's my fiance."

TT

The car changed lanes and honked its horn. A head of black and red hair popped out from the window, red eyes glaring daggers. "Where the hell did you learn to drive you fucking retard?! Get the fuck off the road if you're going to drive like a fucking asshole!"

"Toni, eyes on the road please!" Terra half shouted and half whimpered from the front passenger seat, her hands clenching the seat in fright. She had no idea how wild Toni could be on the road. Her head turned turned towards Toni, and she desperately wished she could get out of the car. "Are we there yet?"

"As a matter of fact," she began, her hands turning the wheel and she narrowly avoided hitting another person's parked car. "Yes."

Terra sighed in relief and she gazed out the window. She swore never to complain about Gar's moped ever again. "Never before have I been so happy to see school," now that the car was safely parked, Terra rounded on Toni. "Now what is the big deal? You were a monster on that road!"

"Ugh! I know, and I'm sorry," Toni responded. "I'm just still pissed off about what happened last night with my folks."

This peaked Toni's interest. "What happened with your folks."

"My stepfather caught Alain and I in an awkward position. Then him and my mom totally freaked and said I couldn't see him anymore."

"What? No way."

"Way. But...," Toni smiled. "I managed to change their minds, so I still get to date Alain."

"Toni, that's great," she smiled. "For a second there I was worried you two would have to break up."

Toni looked away, frowning.

"Did I... Did I say something wrong?"

She turned her gaze towards her friend. "My mom's convinced entirely, but my step-dad is a different story. He's suspicious of Alain and I," her eyes narrowed and she gripped the wheel to prevent herself from hitting anything. "I hate him so much! He's such a jerk!"

"Okay, he may be a jerk, but I'm sure you don't hate him."

"Yes I do."

"How come? Is it because you think he's trying to replace your real dad?"

"He could never replace my father," Toni muttered, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the wheel tighter. "As much as I hate to admit it, Carl's a far better person than he'll ever be. My real father is a monster and I hope he rots."

Terra shifted uncomfortably. Toni seemed so angry, it was scary. "Is he really all that bad?"

She nodded, and silence filled the car.

"If I tell you something," Toni began, her tone soft. "Do you promise to keep it a secret?"

The blonde nodded. "Of course. You can trust me."

She nodded back and began, her tone soft. "My real father is in prison."

Terra's eyes widened and she gulped. Toni was always so upbeat, she had no idea she was hiding a secret like this. Suddenly she was filled with curiosity. "Why?"

"Why _what_?" Toni inquired, brow raised.

"Why'd he go to prison?"

Her mind flashed an image of when she was younger, but she shook her head, clearing her mind. She forced out a laugh. "Y'know, it was so long ago I don't remember. Anyways, we should get going. If we're late Mr. Mod will have a fit."

Terra didn't say anything, she merely followed Toni's example out the car and walked beside her as they entered the school. For a brief moment, she wondered if what Toni told her would be considered 'useful' to Kitten.

TT

"Alain!" Toni cried out happily upon seeing him in the hall. She ran up to him and tackled him in a hug, giving him a big smooch.

"Toni," Alain gasped out, his arms going around her waist subconsciously. "What are doing?"

"What does it look like," she purred, arms going around his neck. "I'm showing my boyfriend some affection."

"Boyfriend," he repeated, broad smile coming to his face. His eyes twinkled. "So Carl's not mad at me anymore?"

"Um, not exactly. He's still pretty steamed."

Alain hung his head in disappointment.

"But," Toni began cheerfully, patting his shoulders. "I managed to get the target off your back."

He looked up at this, curiosity filling his eyes. "How'd you pull that off?"

"Um...," she laughed nervously, just as the bell rang. Saved by the bell. "I'll tell you later. We can cut gym and go outside by the big tree, sound good?"

"Uh, I guess so, but--"

"Good!" she grabbed his hand and dragged him along. "Now let's get to class."

TT

Toni sat awkwardly besides Alain, their backs leaning against, what she called, 'the big tree', near the side of the school. The light penetrated the gaps between the leaves, creating a shade that looked like an unfinished puzzle. The ground was nice and soft, and a gentle breeze tangled their hair. It was a peaceful setting with the scent of flowers in the air. Despite this, Toni's heart couldn't stop beating at a rapid pace.

She couldn't help but feel nervous. After all she had called Alain her fiance without even informing him or thinking of his feelings. The only thing she had cared about at that moment was convincing her parents to let them see each other. Her plan worked, but now she was expected to pull an engagement out of thin air. Her index fingers poked together. It wasn't as if it was a real engagement, she thought, some of her nerves skimming off. It was just an excuse to make her parents happy and for them to let her date Alain. No big deal.

Alain's hand fell upon her shoulder, and she turned to face him. He looked calm, especially with the cool smile he wore.

"You can tell me anything, you know," he stated softly.

"I know," she replied, looking down and blushing. "But I'm afraid you won't like what I have to say."

"I doubt I'll be mad. After all, you single handily saved our relationship from annihilation. Now come on, tell me what happened after Carl kicked me out."

"There's not much to tell." she responded indifferently, her fingers pulling at the grass. "Him and my mom got pist and said we couldn't see each other anymore. There was a shouting match, and then they demanded I give them one good reason as to why we should be allowed to see each other."

Alain's heart thumped hopefully. "What did you say?"

There eyes locked, and they both smiled at each other.

Then, in a calm voice, she answered his question. "I told them you were my fiance."

A cricket was heard.

"We can continue to see each other," Toni pointed out, hoping to gain a reaction from him. His blank face was bringing back her nerves. "Isn't that great?"

The cricket was heard once more.

"You told your folks that I'm your fiance?" he questioned. Hopefully he heard wrong or she was just playing a joke on him.

She wasn't. "Yeah."

"But I'm not you're fiance."

"I know that."

"But you told them I was anyways?"

"Yup."

"Toni," he put his hands on her shoulders, his eyes slightly narrowed and his tone serious. "How could you do that?!"

"I had no choice," she claimed, feeling guilty. "It was the only way to convince them to let us continue seeing each other."

"But saying that we're engaged?!" he snapped, rising from the ground and pacing before her. He didn't know what to make of the situation. Sure, he was beyond happy that they were still allowed to date, but the lie she told... It seemed over the top.

"Look," she began as she stood from the ground, too. "It's not like it's a real engagement. It's just pretend so my parents will back off."

He crossed his arms, a frown on his face.

She continued. "I'm sorry, Alain, but I only did it for us. I didn't want to lose you."

"Are you sure about that? Or did you really just want to stick it to Carl?"

She flinched. This was a side of Alain she never thought she would have to face. "I deserved that. But please believe me when I say I did it for us. I wouldn't lie about that, honest."

He took a good look at her, his hard exterior melting. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. And I shouldn't have gotten so upset. You did what you thought was best."

She embraced him. He was so understanding. "You really are the best boyfriend in the world. Or should I say fiance?"

A chuckled escaped him. "I don't know about that, but I do try. And besides, it's not a big deal when you think about it. After all, it is a fake engagement."

She laughed nervously, looking away. "Uh, right, about that... You see, we have to make it look convincing. Carl's suspicious."

His eyes widened. "How the heck are we supposed to make it look convincing to Carl?"

"I dunno," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. She looked down at her hands, raising them. "A ring might be a good idea."

Alain scratched his head. For some reason, he didn't think this was such a good idea.

TT

A man known as Bo Chandler had spent the past ten years of his life working at a small jewelry shop called 'Enchantment'. It was a fine shop, filled with elegance and taste. Many wealthy people came to this shop, many of whom wore pearls and diamonds and gold and silver. People with suits and ties and dresses came to this shop. People whose features were lined with age and whose eyes told a story of how hard they worked to get their paycheck. Those were the type of people who came to this shop.

Not teenagers.

No, certainly not. Especially teenagers who wore leather with studs and chains and shirts with skulls. Teenagers whose hair consisted of two colors. Teenagers who didn't know the meaning of a hair cut and wore baggy clothes and sneakers. Those were not the type of people who came to this shop.

He eyed the pair, a young boy and girl, and frowned. They better not try and steal anything, he thought warily.

"Um, excuse me, sir," called out the girl, sounding very polite. "Can we get some service please? We're a bit lost?"

"You most certainly are," he muttered coldly, not loud enough for them hear as he came to their side. As much as he disapproved of their presence, he decided to help them. After all, they were customers. "How can I be of service?"

"We're looking for an engagement ring," the boy answered.

"An engagement ring," he chuckled. "Whatever for? You two are merely teenagers. Certainly such a ring is not for you."

"Excuse me, but that sounded like an insult," the boy noted, fist clenching at his side.

"Calm down and let me handle this, Alain," said the girl, smiling at him. She then rummaged around her purse, and pulled out a small gold card. "My name is Toni Monetti, and this is my stepfather's credit card. He's very wealthy."

"You don't say," this peaked his interest and he smiled kindly. "Well, why don't you take a look at our fine selection here."

Toni and Alain looked down at the rings, which were protected by a glass barrier.

"As you see, we have an assortment of engagement rings," he pointed at the five selections and listed the names. "These are usually referred to as 'settings with sidestones'. Right here we have the 'classic solitaire settings', notice how it only has one diamond. Then there is the 'pave set rings' and the 'three-stone settings', observe how the larger diamond is in the middle of two smaller diamonds. Finally we have the 'tension settings'."

"I had no idea engagement rings were separated into different categories," Alain whispered to himself.

"I like how the band twists and connects with the diamond," Toni stated. "Can we see those?"

"Certainly," he unlocked the small door that kept the rings safe, and removed a rectangular blue cushion that had the tension settings embedded within them.

"Wow, this one is really pretty," she said, pointing at a silver ring with a square diamond that was turned sideways.

"Ah yes, wonderful choice. Would you like to try it on?"

"Can I?"

"You most certainly can," Bo replied, taking her left hand and slipping the ring on her ring finger. It was perfect fit. "This is a platinum pointed tension set ring. It's only five thousand dollars, a real steal if you ask me."

Alain nearly gagged in his mouth. That was _way_ to expensive. Especially for a ring. "No thank y--"

"We'll take it," Toni cut in.

TT

Alain sighed, and his eyes glanced over to Toni who had a broad smile on her face. "Toni, don't you think that ring is to expensive?"

"Nonsense," she said, raising her hand to stare at her ring. It was so pretty, she loved it already. "Most engagement rings cost an arm and a leg. No biggie."

"But--"

"Alain," she cut off. "We needed this ring. Our 'engagement' has to look convincing, doesn't it?"

"I guess," he murmured, stuffing his hands within his pockets. "So are you going to the wedding? It's this week."

She froze, a look of horror on her face. "Oh no, I completely forgot! Ugh, I have to get home and pick out the perfect dress!"

She made a dash towards were she parked her car, Alain strolling behind with an amused expression. "What am I going to do with that girl?"

TT

Dinah and Ollie finished their first dance as husband and wife, and the crowd surrounding the dance floor erupted into applause. Now that their first dance was done, other couple took to the dance floor. Off to the side Dick, Kori, Roy, Jade, Wally, Jenn, Karen, Vic, Raven, Toni, Alain, Gar, Terra, and Babs watched the adults mingle, dance, and sip champagne.

"Aw," cooed Kori, hands clasped together. "Aren't Ollie and Dinah so cute?"

The others muttered an 'eh' and sipped their water.

"Hey, Roy," began Wally as he placed his fork down. "How much did Ollie spend on this wedding? It seems pretty extravagant."

"I don't know. But if you ask me, it cost him and arm and a leg."

Alain and Toni snickered at this, causing the others to stare.

"What's so funny?" Raven inquired, brow raised.

"Um..."

Toni and Alain eyed each other nervously. They hadn't told their friends about their 'engagement', and Toni had placed her ring on a different finger so they wouldn't know. It wasn't that they were embarrassed, it was just that they weren't ready to tell them yet. And now certainly wasn't the time to do so.

"It's nothing," Alain assured them quickly. He took Toni's hand. "C'mon, let's dance."

The two quickly left the table, leaving the others baffled.

"They're up to something," Karen deduced.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Kori commented as she stood up. "Dick, would you come and dance with me please?"

"Sure thing, Kori," he answered, linking arms with her as they headed for the dance floor, her yellow dress swaying side to side as she walked. Once they reached the dance floor, he planted a kiss on her lips and held her close.

Bruce, who was dancing with Diana, caught sight of this and narrowed his eyes.

"Is something wrong, Bruce?" Diana asked.

"It's Dick," he answered. "I'm worried about him."

"What for? He looks fine to me."

"I think he's letting his romantic feelings for Kori come in the way of his priorities. If this keeps up--"

"Bruce, they're teenagers, and Dick is a good kid. Most of the time. Leave them be," she smiled at him. "For me, please?"

He smiled back. "Okay. At least for now.

TT

It seemed as if Ollie and Dinah's wedding party would never end. At least that's how it felt to Terra. The blonde had sauntered off outside, she needed to get away from it all, at least for a little while. She was starting to get the temptation to pick pocket one of those rich folks, the way she used to do when she was younger, and needed to shake that feeling off. She wasn't that type of girl anymore, her life was comfortable now.

Leaning her back against the wall, she rummaged around her purse. A smile came to her face as she pulled out her box of cigarettes and lighter. Over the years she had quit many of her bad habits, but this was something she just couldn't shake. It helped her to relax.

She lit one of her cigarettes and placed it in her mouth, dropping her lighter and half finished box of blunts into her purse in the process. Taking a deep inhale, she exhaled, the smoke dancing before her eyes as she slid to the ground. Sexy brown dress or no, she was sitting down. The lazy part of her demanded it.

Terra continued to smoke in peace, but her tranquility was broken by someone exclaiming her name.

"Terra?!"

She spotted Dick coming over to her and jumped up, her cigarette falling in the process. She silently cursed, she wanted to finish that.

"Terra, I didn't know you smoke," he commented, stepping on her blunt. He sounded serious, she noted.

"Uh... yeah," she replied, unsure of what to say as her hands smoothed out her dress. She was avoiding looking at him directly. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be inside?"

"I was, but then Gar started to worry because he couldn't find you. We agreed to split up to find you," he crossed his arms. "So, how long has this been going on?"

"... A couple of years."

"You do know those things cause cancer, right? It's unhealthy and--"

"I know they are for me," she snapped angrily, blue eyes narrowed. She didn't need a lecture from him, nor did she want one. "But it's my body and my life. So just back off."

She made a move to walk past him, but he blocked her.

"Look, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but you're my friend so I'm going to look out for you whether you like it or not," she scoffed at him, and his eyes softened. "So how come you smoke?"

"I dunno," she answered briskly. What was the point of telling him her reasons for smoking? It wasn't like he would understand. "I just do."

"The real reason, Terra."

"I just like to, okay! It makes me feel food and helps me to relax," she answered, scowling a him with crossed arms. "Happy now?"

There was a long silence.

"I used to be an alcoholic."

Her attention snapped back to him in disbelief. "You used to be an alcoholic?"

He nodded. "Last year Kori got shot, and I felt so guilty and depressed that I turned to booze for comfort. I put my life in jeopardy to get rid of the pain I was feeling, when what I should have done was go to my friends for help."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I want you to realize that instead of turning to cigarettes for comfort, you can turn to me and the others," he placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "You have friends you can count on."

She returned his smile. "Thank you."

"C'mon, let's go back inside and get some more cake before it's gone."

She nodded at him, her smile still present. She had friends. _Real _friends who cared about her. Suddenly she felt as if someone was squeezing her heart. She had the greatest friends imaginable and she would have to betray them. The thought alone made her sick to her stomach.

TT

Carl had caught her off guard while she was searching for Terra. Toni mentally swore. Why was it that Ollie felt the need to invite every big shot in town to his wedding?

"Are you having a good time, Toni?" he asked, smiling kindly.

The jerk, she thought. Toni forced a smile. "Yes, I am actually. I'm just trying to find a friend of mines in this big crowd. So if you'll excuse me..."

"I notice you're not wearing your engagement ring."

"I am to," she countered, showing him her right hand. "Alain and I just didn't want to steal any attention away from Ollie and Dinah."

"Really? I find that hard to believe, especially after that big show you put on a few days ago."

He was referring to the day when she came home with the engagement ring on her finger. She went on and on about how Alain brought it for her months ago, and how she couldn't wear it before because their engagement was supposed to be a secret.

"You know, Toni," he continued. "I don't believe for a second this engagement of yours is real. In fact, I bet it's a safe guess to say this is all smoke and mirrors."

She clenched her fist, refusing to back down. "This engagement is real. And I can prove it."

He scoffed. "How?"

She eyed the empty stage, more specifically, the microphone. The band had gone on break, which was perfect for her. "I'll show you."

She confidently walked past him, her feet leading her towards the stage. She took a fistful of her red dress decorated with black lace so she wouldn't trip as she walked up the stairs. Once there she went over to the microphone, lowering it so it reached her lips. "Excuse me everyone, pardon me," she spoke. It didn't take long for people's eyes to land on her. "I just wanted to wish Ollie and Dinah happiness in the future..."

The crowd murmured an 'aw' and said 'how sweet'.

"Also," Toni continued. "I wanted to announce my engagement to Alain Aqua. Hopefully our wedding will be as extravagant as this. Thank you."

She smiled and descended down the stage, and those in the crowd who didn't know her cheered and clapped. Her friends, however, were shocked. Those in the group who were sitting nearly fell out of their chairs. Those who were drinking or eating nearly choked. Those who were standing had wide eyes and agape mouths.

She walked directly over to Carl, a smirk present on her face. "Do you believe me now?"

He bit his lip. Did he believe her now? He most certainly did. Did he want to admit it? He most certainly did not. Even if he wanted to say something, he couldn't, for at that moment Claudia came over. A woman with black hair and a man with blonde hair, who had a firm grip on Alain's shoulder, followed closely behind.

Toni recongized the man and woman as Alain's parents. She gulped, this wasn't good.

TT

Toni felt dizzy as her eyes darted back and forth between her parents and Alain's parents, who were currently having an argument. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling incredibly stupid. She was so desperate to convince Carl that her fake engagement was a real one that she threw Alain under the bus in the process. Having been caught up in the moment she had completely forgotten about Alain's parents who knew nothing about their predicament. She groaned. Their fake engagement was supposed to get them out of trouble, not throw them face first into it.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Alain. He looked miserable, and she betted that he wanted nothing more than to crawl under a rock. She sighed, crawling under a rock sounded pretty good right about now.

Her eyes widened a bit when she felt someone take her hand. To her surprise and absolute delight it was Alain. She squeezed his hand, a smile coming to her face.

Their parents caught their show of affection and immediately frowned. Suddenly, the argument was thrown in their direction.

In the midst of all the yelling Toni felt as if her head was spinning, and she only managed to comprehend half of what was being said. If she was correct, they were saying thing like "you two are to young for an engagement", "this is irresponsible behavior", and "you two are seeing to much of each other."

It was at this moment she felt as if she was about to cry, and her mind began to picture a scenario of what would happen next.

Their parents would forbid them from seeing each other, then they would be grounded forever and lose all dating privileges. Next they would ship her to an all girls school, and him an all boys one. After being groomed to perfection, she would emerge a pristine daughter, and Alain would be gay. There would be not future for them.

The tears were pricking her her eyes now and her breathing was becoming irregular. Dammit, she muttered silently to herself. She was about to cry. And in front of people to. Double dammit, she muttered silently, but angrily. Their parents were about to break her and Alain up and she couldn't do anything about it.

"All right, that's enough!"

A new voice joined the quarrel, and Toni was shocked to recognized it as Alain's voice.

"Alain," Arthur, his father, growled, his blue eyes narrowed. "Let your mother and I handle this."

"I'm sorry but I can't. Not when it evolves Toni and me and our relationship," he turned to the four grown ups in the room with determination in his eyes. "I'm in love with Toni, and I'm not going to let you guys break us up."

Toni, despite the shock she felt from hearing him mention love, silently cheered him on. That's right, she thought in her head, kick their butt, Alain!

"Toni and I are going to remain engaged," he continued. "And there's nothing you can do to stop us. But we are willing to compromise."

"I think a compromise would be a wise thing to do," said Mera, Alain's mother.

"Okay then, we'll comprmise," Arthur announced, his eyes turning to the youngest couple in the room. "This engagement of yours, we'll allow it only if you promise to start wedding plans after college."

"And no sex!" Carl butted in. "Especially not in my house!"

"We except the both of you to not let this engagement get in the way of school," Mera said.

"And the next time you two plan anything crazy," began Claudia. "Please inform us first."

Alain nodded. "We promise to follow the rules you've given us."

"You better," warned Arthur. "Or the engagement will be off. That's a promise."

Arthur, Mera, Carl, and Claudia left the room, each one of them returning to the party in hopes of getting a drink. Alain and Toni were left alone in silence.

"So...," she looked up at him, a grin on her face. "When did you gain some back bone?"

He chuckled, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know. I just didn't want to see you cry."

A blush came to her cheeks when he said that, and she recalled the words he said earlier. "Did you... did you mean it when you said you... _loved..._ me?"

He looked at her as if that was the most ridiculous question in the world. "Of course I meant it. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't."

"Oh," her cheeks were burning. "I had no idea..."

"I've felt this way for months, and I wanted to tell you before, but I always chickened out. I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same."

"Oh," she replied awkwardly. Was that really all she could say?

"Do you...," he began, his cheeks turning red. "Feel the same way?"

"I... I...," her mouth felt dry and she couldn't respond. Sure she cared about him, but _love_? That was an enormous step. And the last time she told that to a boy he left town. "I... I..."

He placed his hand upon her own, their eyes locking. "You can't say it, can you?"

She slowly nodded her head no, feeling ashamed of herself. After everything they went through, she couldn't say three tiny words. She felt like a coward. If Alain was to break up with her on the spot it would be what she deserved.

To her surprise, he smiled at her. "It's okay if you can't say it. There's no rush. When you're ready to, then you can say it."

Before she even realized it, she was embracing him, tears rolling down her eyes.

"Hey, it's okay," he said softly, wiping her tears. He was still smiling at her. "Why don't we go back to the party? I'm sure our friends will want an explanation."

Toni nodded before drying the last of her tears. She looked up at him with a smile of her own as he took her hand in his, leading her back towards the party. She really did have the best boyfriend in the world.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO Hex the Lyzanx, BerryDrops, dobbinx, Agent of the Divine One, clarkLover1, Romancelover1321, XxGraysonGirlxX, RoseXxxXThorn, Kick Ass Kids, TeenTitansFreakFan, cookiegurl15, iBelieveInAngels, mythica magic, cookiesruletheworld, Little Miss Juliet, NegativeCloud, tennisgal456, .Spaz-attack101, Daniella TT AND chicagobabe FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST! I HOPED EVERYONE LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

**BEFORE I FORGET... EVERYONE, I HAVE POSTED A ****POLL ON MY PROFILE****CONCERNING THE ADULT SERIES/SEQUEL THAT WILL TAKE PLACE ONCE I'M DONE WITH THIS STORY AND THE STORY THAT COMES AFTER IT, WHICH FEATURES OUR FAVORITE CHARACTERS IN SENIOR YEAR. I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU GUYS COULD VOTE. PLEASE AND THANK YOU!**

**ANYWAYS... AREN'T YOU ALL GLAD THAT I'M OUT OF SCHOOL?! I KNOW I AM! NOW I CAN UPDATE AT A FAST PACE.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: JADE GOES INTO LABOR, BUT THERE ISN'T A DOCTOR AROUND. WHO WILL HELP HER DELIVER THE BABY? OR WILL SHE BE ALL ALONE?**

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	43. The young and the hopeless

It was the beginning of April, and things were hectic as Ollie and Dinah rushed about the house to prepare themselves for their departure. The newly wed couple were going off to Paris to have their two week honeymoon. Currently, the two were packing last minute necessities whilst making last minute phone calls and preparations. As they ran about, Roy and Jade watched in amusement. They thought it was hilarious to watch Ollie and Dinah, two people who usually had everything in control, not have everything in control.

"Ironic," Jade told Roy before suppressing a giggle.

"Uh, hey guys," Roy called out to the two blondes of the house. "That cab has been waiting out there for about twenty minutes. Don't you think it's time to go? You don't want to be late to the airport."

"The airport!" Dinah and Ollie cried in unison, gathering their things and heading for the door.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Roy called out again before they ran out the door.

"Oh right," Ollie murmured, digging around his pocket. He pulled out a folded sheet of paper and placed it in Roy's hand. "Here's a list of emergency contacts. The number of our hotel is on it, so if anything happens just call." He pulled Roy in a one armed hug. "If you need any money there's some in the desk in my office. First draw on the left side. You kids take care."

"We love you both," added Dinah.

Her and Ollie then left. They threw their luggage in the cab before hopping in themselves. Once the doors were shut the taxi took off. Roy and Jade watched from the doorway until it disappeared from sight. Once the taxi was gone they turned to each other, grinning ear to ear.

"We have the whole house to ourselves!" they cried in unison, before rushing inside and closing the door behind themselves.

The two were filled with excitement as they went to the kitchen to figure out what to do. It wasn't often that they got the entire house to themselves, they wanted to use their time wisely. Before they sat down at the table, Roy retrieved a can of soda and a juice box from the refrigerator. He handed Jade the juice and sat down besides her.

She gave him a dirty look. "Why do I get juice?"

"Because it's healthy," he answered, laughing a little at the expression on her face. "Now c'mon, let's stay focused here. We have the whole house to ourselves for two weeks, we need to decide what we're gonna do."

"Well," she began as she fiddled with her straw. "What do you want to do?"

"... watch porn."

She glared daggers at him, and her expression alone was enough to make him tremble in fear.

"Just kidding," he said quickly, putting on an innocent countenance.

"Pervert," she grumbled, eyes narrowed. "Why don't you get serious? The baby will be here by the time Ollie and Dinah come back, so it's time you mature."

"Hey! I'm mature!"

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are too!"

"Ha," she smiled and pointed a finger at him. "I just proved that you're not mature!"

He huffed, turning his head to the side. "Whatever. That was a dirty trick."

She ruffled his hair before planting a kiss on his cheek. "I was just teasing," she smiled at him.

He smiled back and cupped her face, leaning closer. Their lips locked in a gentle kiss. They pulled away after a few seconds, but their lips attached immediately afterwards. Jade's hands clutched his shirt, whilst his hands tangled in her hair. Both of them were immensely enjoying themselves, but their romantic moment was cut short when the phone rang.

"Dammit...," Roy muttered, his forehead leaning against Jade's.

"One of us should go answer that," she suggested, a sigh escaping her lips as she leaned back in her chair.

He gritted his teeth as he stood up from his chair. Marching towards the phone, he glared at it in anger. He cursed it for ruining the moment and picked it up, his tone snappish. "Hello?"

The voice on the other line was enough to fill him with shock and make his blood boil at the same time. He tried to keep his cool before answering again, but his tone came out resentful. "What do you want?"

There was a pause, and Jade looked at Roy with curious eyes. She couldn't help but notice that her boyfriend was fuming with rage, yet placid at the same time. Usually if someone angered him, he was quick to let out a string of curse words and insults. Why he wasn't doing that now, she didn't understand. Just who exactly was he speaking to?

"Jade," he lowered the phone from his ear, his tone serious as he looked her in the eye. It made her slightly nervous. "... it's your mother. She wants to speak with you."

A part of her wanted to run and grab the phone from him, that way she could talk to her mother and tell her so many things... but she couldn't. The other part of her was forcing her to stay firmly in her spot, unmoving. That part of her couldn't forgive the mother who walked out, the one who she hadn't seen, nor spoken to, in months. She gulped, wondering which side of her was strongest.

Taking one look at her was enough to make Roy jump to defensive mode. Stress was no good for Jade and the baby. "If you don't want to talk to her you don't have to," he pointed out quickly. "You're not obligated--"

She cut him off. "I want to talk to her."

He was momentarily shocked. "What?"

She stood from her chair and stepped towards him with an outstretched hand. "I want to talk to her," she repeated, firmly this time.

He was reluctant to hand over the phone. "You sure?"

She nodded. "Yes."

There wasn't nothing he could do. It was her mother, her choice. He had no right to try and change her mind. "I'll give you some privacy," he said before handing her the phone.

"Thank you," she replied, bringing the phone to her ear as he left the kitchen.

He decided to go to the leaving room and wait it out in there. Taking a seat on the sofa, he leaned his head back in frustration and looked up at the ceiling. His mind began to race with thoughts.

Why? Why now? Why did Serena suddenly call now?

He remembered the last time he saw her clear as day. It had been September; Ollie, Dinah, and Jade's parents had gathered together to discuss their situation. Serena hadn't been happy with the way the conversation had concluded, and abruptly left. After that, Jade hadn't seen or spoken to her.

Roy stretched out on the sofa, still contemplating. He hated to admit it, but he could understand why Serena was so livid by Jade's pregnancy, after all, she was her mother. Not only that, but when he first found out he was full of rage, too.

However, that was as far as his understanding of her went. Unlike Serena, he was able to release his anger. She decided to hold onto it and turn her back on Jade. He just couldn't understand a person who would abandon their child when they needed support the most. What Serena did to Jade was unforgivable.

Then again... if it was truly unforgivable, why was Jade speaking to her mother right now?

"Come to think of it," Roy murmured to himself, sitting up. "How long have they been on the phone?"

He had been so consumed in his thoughts that he completely lost track of time. For all he knew, Jade could have been on the phone for a few minutes or a few hours. It was at this moment that he decided to go and check on her.

There was no need.

Just as his feet had settled on the floor, she walked into the room. To his shock and relief there was no tears in her eyes, and there was no look of agitation on her face.

"So what happened?" he asked quickly. "What did she say?"

A broad smile spread across her lips. "She wants to see me."

TT

The next morning, Roy couldn't help but notice how happy and excited Jade was. Today her mother would be coming over to see her, this was the reason for her happy mood. Despite the fact that he was enjoying her jubilant mood, he couldn't shake off his own distress. He didn't like the fact that Jade was getting her hopes up, not when it came to Serena. He didn't trust that woman, and he didn't like her either.

He decided to keep his opinions to himself as Jade approached him. She was dressed in a green dress that ended at her knees and a white sweater. Her hair was tied in a neat ponytail, and the only make-up she wore was lip gloss. She flashed him a kilowatt smile, her green eyes sparkling.

"How do I look?" she asked brightly, smiling at him.

"Like a million bucks," he answered, kissing her cheek.

"Really? Because I have to look great for my mom. I haven't seen her in so long, I want to make a good impression."

"Right...," he rolled his eyes. "What time is she coming over?"

"Around noon," she answered, taking a good long look at herself. She praised the inventor of full length mirrors. "It's to bad you have school. We all could have talked together."

"Yeah... shame...," this was the one time he was actually grateful for the fact that he had school. He didn't want to be anywhere around Serena. "You know I have to work late today, so I'll send someone over to check on you. But if anything just call my cell."

"Okay... worrywart."

"Jade, I'm being serious! If anything happens, call me."

She looked at him, hands on her hips. "What could possibly happen?"

He looked away. "You know... just in case things with your mom doesn't work out."

"Why would you say something like that?" she snapped angrily, a scowl on her face. "This is my chance to reconcile with my mom! You should be happy for me!"

"I am! I'm just being realistic here. Your mother isn't exactly dependable, and she's let you down in the past."

"So have you! And I've given you another chance," she crossed her arms. "Might I add, more than once. If I can forgive you, I can forgive her."

Roy sighed in frustration, deciding to drop the argument before it escalated to the point were they tore into each other. He grabbed his school bag and headed towards the door. "Whatever. I have to go."

There was no hug or kiss goodbye. No smile to send him off. No goodbye wave. Just two angry teenagers who were very stubborn.

TT

It was lunch time and Kori, Babs, Jenn, Wally, Dick, Raven, Roy, Toni, Alain, Vic, Karen, Gar, and Terra sat at their usual table. Their conversation topic focused mainly around spring break, which would be taking place soon, and their plans on what to do. The conversation, however, was beginning to frustrate most of them, so it was dropped.

Currently the group ate in silence, enjoying their lunch.

The silence was broken by Roy. "Hey," he waited until everyone's attention was focused on him. "What are you guys doing after school?"

"After school," Babs repeated. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I have to work late and I need someone to check up on Jade," fight or no fight, he loved Jade. Her safety was his number one priority. "Is anyone free?"

"I'm not," Wally answered. "I promised to help Barry."

"And I have to do this thing with Bruce," Dick said.

"I would love to," began Jenn. "But Kori, Babs, and I have cheer practice."

"I'm grounded," Toni said when Roy's gaze turned towards her.

Kori raised a brow. "Why are you grounded?"

"Eh," she shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "I broke curfew."

Roy looked at the others. "What about you guys?"

"I have a date with Allison," Vic answered.

"I have a date with Mal," Karen answered.

"Terra and I are going on a date," Gar answered, smiling at Terra who smiled back.

"We're going to the movies," Terra added.

"What about you, Raven?" Roy asked. "Are you busy, too?"

The goth girl nodded her head yes. "I have to babysit."

"Alain, please tell me you're free," Roy said, his tone pleading. His best friend was his only hope.

"Yeah, I'm free," Alain answered after a long pause. When he thought about it, he really had nothing to do. After all, the swim team didn't begin until May.

"You're a lifesaver, Alain," Roy said, pounding fist with the dark haired boy.

TT

The door bell rang, and Jade immediately rushed to the door. Her hand rested on the knob, and she took a deep and calming breath. When she released it, she released her nerves as well, and opened the door. Her eyes widened at the sight of her mother, who was dressed in a grey suit and white shirt, her black haired pulled back in a neat bun and a black briefcase in hand. She looked the same, Jade noted, and she felt her heart skip a beat, her arms tingling to reach out and grab the woman before her and never let go.

Instead of a hug, she stretched out her hand. Her mother preferred handshakes. "Mom, it's good to see you."

"Don't be formal, Jade," Serena smiled. "And give your mother a hug."

She didn't need to be told twice.

The two stood by the door, embracing for what felt like forever to Jade. Months. It had been months since she last held her mother like this. It felt good, really good, and it made her smile. She hadn't realized how much she missed her mother, and if it wasn't for the tears coming to her eyes she would have held her longer. She didn't want to wet her mother's suit.

She pulled away and dried her tears on her sleeves, stepping to the side, a smile still on her face. "Please, come in."

Serena did as she was told and took a step inside, her sharp eyes gazing around. The last time she was here she never really got the chance to observe her surroundings. "This really is a big house... Have you enjoyed staying here?"

Jade closed the doors. "I have. But you're wrong, this place isn't really all that big. My friend Toni, now she lives in a big house."

"Toni Monetti? I think I read about her in the newspaper. It was a small article, but I believe it mentioned her to be engaged."

Jade giggled, recalling how Toni and Alain explained their fake engagement to her and the others. "Yeah, she announced it at Ollie's wedding. Her step-dad is a very important person, and there was a few reporters at the wedding."

"Yes, I heard Oliver's wedding was a magnificent event," Serena turned to Jade. "Have you and Roy made any wedding plans?"

"What?! No!" her cheeks burned red, and she avoided her mother's eyes. "Getting married is the last thing on our minds."

"Oh, alright then."

Feeling rather embarrassed, Jade decided to change the subject. "Why don't we go to the kitchen and catch up? We can have tea and cake."

Serena smiled softly. "I'd like that."

The two headed off to the kitchen. Once there, Jade served two thick slices of strawberry short cake. She then proceeded to make her mother some tear, Raven had taught her how, and she herself settled with a glass of milk. Once everything was prepared, she joined her mother at the table.

Her mother took a bite of the dessert, and her face lighted up. "This cake taste delightful."

Jade smiled, pleased her mother approved. "I'm glad you like it. My friend Karen is dating a boy named Mal, whose father owns a restaurant. That's where I got the cake."

"Karen? Wasn't she that girl who was dating that boy... I believe his name was Vic..."

"Oh, yeah. She was dating Vic, but they broke up a few months ago. They're both dating different people."

"They seemed like such a nice couple last time I saw them."

"They were, but things change."

"What about you and Roy? How are the two of you?"

"Oh, we're fine. Roy has been great to me, always fretting...," she frowned. "But we did get in a fight this morning. It was small, but it still sucked."

Serena patted her hand. "I'm sure you two will be just fine."

Jade smiled, and the two continued to converse. They caught up on a lot of things, one of those things concerning how Jade decided to drop out of school, something her mother wasn't to fond about. The two bickered about that for awhile, but nothing harsh was said.

"It's not like I plan on never finishing my education," Jade snapped. "Lot's of people drop out and finish later on. I'll finish my education, after the baby is born and a few years old, I'll finish. I promise."

The quarrel ended there, and not much was said after. The two finished their cakes, and Jade silently washed the dishes after. She had hit a bump in the road with her mother, but she wasn't going to let that bother her. Her mother had come here to reconcile, and Jade wasn't going to let one little argument stand in the way of that.

"Hey," Jade began as she dried off her hands with a paper towel. "How about I give you a tour of the house. Sounds good?"

Serena nodded, and they departed the kitchen. Jade then proceeded to drag Serena throughout the entire house. She showed her the dining room, living room, garage, backyard, and then she showed her around upstairs. Their first stop was the baby's room.

"Do you like it?" Jade asked once they stepped inside. "Roy and I decorated it together, but Ollie and Dinah helped out a lot to." She giggled. "We couldn't put together most of the things, like the crib, so they had to do it."

"The room looks nice," Serena commented, looking around. The room had many toys, a bookshelf with children's books, a crib, a changing center, a rocking chair, and other necessities for a baby. "I like the color."

"Oh yeah, we picked green because we don't know if it's a boy or girl," she laughed. "Plus it's my favorite color. Ollie's, too."

"You don't know if it's a boy or girl yet?"

"No. Roy and I decided to let it be a surprise to everyone, including ourselves," she smiled. "Ready to see my room?"

Serena nodded and followed her out. They didn't have to venture far, because the baby's room was next to Jade's. "Have you already decided on a name?"

The teen nodded, stepping inside her room. "If it's a boy we're going to name him Conner. If we have a girl we'll name her Lian," she sat down on her bed. Walking around so much had finally gotten to her. "Well, this is my room!"

"It's very nice," Serena said as she sat down besides her daughter, placing her briefcase down. Jade couldn't help but notice how she had carried that thing around everywhere they went. "I'm surprise you and Roy aren't sharing a room."

"Ollie thought it would be best if we have our own rooms, and I'm glad he did. I love Roy, but I love my privacy, too. Plus, if we were to share a room I know for a fact he would steal my hair products."

The two shared a laugh, and while they did Jade's eyes fell upon her mother's briefcase. Curiosity consumed her.

"Hey mom," she began, her finger pointing at the rectangular object near her mother's grey shoes. "What's with the briefcase? You've been carrying it around all day. Is something really important in there?"

"Oh...," her countenance suddenly became serious. "Yes. There is something of extreme importance in there. It actually concerns you Jade. As well as your baby."

At this Jade suddenly became confused.

"I meant what I said over the phone yesterday," Serena continued as she placed her briefcase besides her and opened it, taking out a document. "I do want to reconcile with you, but that isn't the only reason why I came today."

She handed the document to Jade, who took it with a dumbfound expression. However, her expression immediately changed to one of anger once she read a particular word. "Adoption?! Why on earth are you giving me adoption papers?!"

Serena ignored the scowl on her daughter's face. "You're a bright girl, Jade, with a bright future ahead of you. You still have the chance to correct your mistakes."

"I am not having this discussion with you!" she stood up, glaring daggers at the older woman.

"Just hear me out, Jade," Serena pleaded. "I found this nice couple in Wisconsin. All you have to do is sign these papers, and convince Roy to do the same. Then once the baby is born it will have a nice home and loving parents, and you can go back to being a normal teenager again."

"I can't believe you would do this to me! Roy was right to be suspicious of you. You haven't ch--_Ah!_" Jade clutched her stomach, a sharp pain itching her stomach as she kneeled on the floor. Another blow of pain hit her again, making her cry out in pain.

"Jade? Jade, what's wrong?"

"I-I... I think I'm having contractions," Jade said worriedly. "The baby's coming! I-I have to get to the... _Ah!_... The hospital! You have to take me."

Serena didn't say anything. Instead, she rose to her feet and gathered her things. Once she did, she headed towards the door.

Jade caught sight of this, and her eyes flew open in shock. "Where are you going? You have to help me!"

Her mother looked at her with cold eyes. "I tried to help you, Jade, but you refused my help."

"You can't be serious," she stammered, breathing heavily. "I'm about to have a baby."

"And I refuse to help you bring that baby into this world," she said as she stepped out the room. "I'm doing this for your own good, Jade. You need to realize having this baby is a mistake."

She saw her mother leaving, and reached out her hand. "Wait! Mom, please! Don't go! I can't do this alone!"

Her cries went unheard as Serena descended the stairs, leaving Jade alone.

TT

The last bell of the day rang, alerting students that school had ended. Students began to file out into the hallways, leaving classrooms empty. Many people went off in different directions, each with different agendas in mind. Alain went off to his locker, and once he had gathered his things he swung his back pack over his shoulder. He had to go visit Jade, so he quickly departed in the direction of the school's front doors.

"Alain! Hey, Alain!"

He paused and turned around. To his surprise he saw Dick running towards him. "Dick?"

"Hey man, what's up?" Dick greeted once he neared him, patting him on the shoulder.

"Nothing. I was just getting ready to go see Jade."

"Mind if I tag along? I need to talk to you about something."

"I don't mind but," his brow raised. "Don't you have to go see Bruce?"

"I managed to get out of seeing him," Dick answered as they walked side by side. "Besides, I need to talk to you about something important."

Alain flashed a knowing smile. "It's about Kori, isn't it?"

Dick blushed. "Yeah... I'll tell you everything once we're in my car."

The two left the school and headed to the parking lot. Once they entered Dick's car, Dick pulled away from the school and headed in the direction of Ollie's house.

"So what is it this time, Dick?" Alain asked once they hit a red light.

"Well...," Dick's cheeks turned crimson. "You know a lot about girls, Alain, and you seem to understand them... So I was hoping you could help me with Kori."

"You know I'll do whatever I can to help," Alain began. "But what exactly are you asking me to do?"

"I want you to help me seduce Kori."

Alain's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Say what! Why on earth do you need my help with that?!"

"Because I've tried and failed in getting Kori to... you know...," Dick's face got even redder, and he dared not look at Alain. "We went on a date in March, and her house was empty so I dropped a hint to... you know... but she didn't pick up on it. She thought I wanted help with one of my school assignments."

"Ouch."

"Tell me about it," Dick grumbled, making a turn. "I thought for sure she would be ready by now."

"Well Kori's not like your ex-girlfriends. She's not going to take off her clothes and spread her legs and let you have your way with her."

Dick bit his lip, trying hard to block the mental picture his mind had conjured. Such a thought was not appropriate while he was driving.

"You need to be patient and appreciate the level you two are at now. Kori will let you know when she's ready. And if anything you can always ask her if she is," Alain advised wisely. "By the way, what level are you two at now?"

"Groping. Sometimes she lets me under the clothes, but that's it. What about you and Toni?"

"Toni insist that I grope her, but I always refuse. So she'll either take my hands and put them where she wants to be touched, or she'll grope me instead. And sometimes she likes to model for me."

They reached another red light, and Dick took this opportunity to glare at Alain, his tone furious. "You lucky son of a bitch!"

TT

Jade didn't know how much time had passed since her mother left, but she did know she had been by herself for at least a few hours. She had spent this time in agony, for her contractions had only gotten stronger and stronger. It hurt to move, but she did anyway. She had managed to crawl over to her nightstand and grab her phone, only to realize that it was dead. She had forgotten to charge it last night.

She then made a futile attempt to leave her room, but she didn't even make it close to her door. Giving up, she settled herself on the floor at the foot of her bed. Laying flat on her back, she gazed up at the ceiling, tears streaming down her face for two reasons.

The first reason was because of the extreme amount of pain she was in. The second reason was because of her mother. The mother who abandoned her twice now when she needed her the most. Jade cursed that cold hearted woman, feeling incredibly foolish to have given her a second chance. She should have listened to Roy. She should have hung up the phone on her when she called, or slammed the door in her face when she arrived.

One thing was for sure, there would be no reconciliation with her mother. Not after being stabbed in the back like this. First she kicked her out of her own home, then she shoved adoption papers in her face, and then she left her alone while she was in labor. Not to mention the fact that she kept her father away from her for years. Jade was officially done with that woman.

"That bitch! The evil witch! I _hate_ you! I hate you so fucking much!"

_That felt good to say_, she thought before wincing in pain. Another contraction hit her, it felt like a kick to the stomach, and she screamed. She had read that contractions were painful, but she didn't know it would be this painful.

Another contraction hit her at full force, this one being even stronger than the others, and she screamed as loud as she could. She could feel it, the baby was was coming.

TT

Dick parked the car in Ollie's drive-though. Him and Alain stepped out simultaneously, slamming the doors shut. Together they headed for the front door, chatting as they did so.

"You know, Kori wants to become a model," Dick mentioned. "Maybe her and Toni could work something out. And maybe if she hangs out with Toni more, she'll pick up on a few things."

"Sometimes I think you're more perverted than Roy," Alain commented as they reached the front door. He knocked, and once he did so the door opened a bit. "That's weird. Why would leave the door open?"

Dick shrugged, and followed Alain inside. "Jade?"

"Jade? You here?" Alain called out.

No response.

"Do you think she left?" Dick asked, looking at his friend.

"It's possible," Alain replied, looking around.

A scream was heard, and both boys immediately recognized it as Jade's.

"It came from upstairs," Dick said. "Come on!"

Both boys ran upstairs, and once they reached the top, another scream was heard.

"That came from Jade's room!" Alain declared, dashing towards Jade's room with Dick at his heel.

When they entered the room, they were both surprised to see Jade panting on the floor, her eyes squeezed shut in pain.

"Jade!" both boys cried in unison, going to her side.

She opened her eyes, surprised but grateful, to see Dick and Alain. She smiled in relief. Looks like she wouldn't have to go it alone after all.

"Jade, what's wrong?" Alain asked, pushing her bangs away from her face.

"I'm... in labor."

Both boys paled instantly.

"What?!"

"Labor?!"

"That can't be! You're not due for another week!"

"Don't you think I know that!" she shouted, grabbing both of their hands and squeezing as hard as she could. It helped relieve some of her stress. "But none of that matters now because the baby is coming!"

Both boys forcefully tore their hands from her. They never knew she has a killer grip.

"I think you broke my hand," Dick whimpered.

She grabbed the collar of his shirt, glaring at him. "I'll break you if you don't help me! _Ah!_" her hands went to her stomach and her eyes squeezed shut. "Dammit, these fucking contractions hurt!"

"I'm gonna call an ambulance."

"There's no time," Jade whimpered. "The baby is coming now, and they won't be able to make it in time."

"So what are you saying?"

She looked at both boys, eyes pleading. There was no need to answer the question verbally, the look on her face said it all. Again, both boys paled.

"You're not seriously suggesting that we deliver the baby?"

"There's no other option. Please, you have to help me," she murmured, tears pouring from her eyes. Surely her friends wouldn't leave her like her own mother did. "Please..."

Dick and Alain glanced at each other, then nodded. There was no way they could refuse her, not when she needed help. However, there was one problem...

"What the hell do we do now?" Dick asked, looking at the other two people in the room.

"I don't know," Alain confessed, turning his gaze towards Jade. Hopefully she had the answer. "Do we boil water or something? Or get towels?"

"I don't fucking know!" she yelled, squeezing their hands. "I'm not a fucking doctor!"

"Let go! Let go! Let go!" they cried, ripping their hands from her grasp. If she kept this up they would both have broken hands.

Dick rubbed his hand, wincing in pain. He had no idea Jade could be so scary. "Why don't we look it up what to do on the internet?"

She grabbed his collar, furious. "I'm about to have a baby and you want to search the web?!"

"Okay," Alain announced, tearing Dick away from her grasp and gaining their attention. "I know for sure we'll need something to clean the baby with. And something to cut the cord. Dick, can you handle that?"

"Yeah," he answered quickly, rushing from the room. He would choose being a towel boy over Jade's stress ball any day.

Once he was gone, Alain turned to the mother-to-be. "Jade, I want you to breath in and out. Alright?"

She nodded and did as she was told. While she did this, Dick eventually came back with the necessary supplies asked for.

Dick looked at Alain. "Now what?"

Alain's face turned red. "Uh... If I'm correct, one of us should have a look below."

"Look below?!" Jade and Dick cried in unison.

"Hell freakin' no!" Jade snapped, fist clenched.

"Roy would kill me," Dick claimed.

"Look, it has to be done!" Alain snapped at the both of them. "Dick, don't you remember that time we watched porn and got caught? Remember the part of the talk when they told us about childbirth?"

Dick grimaced. "I tried to erase that from my mind."

"Jade, you watched a while bunch of videos didn't you? And read some books and stuff online? We have to see if the head is crowning."

Jade blushed, then huffed. "... fine, just do it."

"Right," Alain patted Dick on the shoulder. "You heard her. Do it."

"Why me?!"

"Why not you?!"

The two glared at each other, but their attention diverted to Jade who released a scream.

"Look, why don't we do it together?" suggested Alain. If he was going down, someone was coming with him.

Dick nodded. He didn't have much of a choice considering the situation. "On the count of three."

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three!"

They moved Jade's dress up, and looked below.

"Hey," Dick began, a slight chuckle in his tone. "I think I see something."

He then promptly passed out.

"The hell--?" Alain glared daggers at Dick who was sprawled out on the floor. "You wuss, get the hell up!"

"Forget about him," Jade hissed. "We have more pressing matters at hand."

"R-right...," he stuttered, taking another look. What had he done to deserve this? "Uh... I'm pretty sure you're crowning."

"So what do I do now?"

"Push?" he suggested after a long pause.

That didn't sound like a bad idea. The one thing she wanted in the world right now was to get this baby out of her body. She took Alain's advice and pushed, remembering to breath as she did so. She threw her head back. This was extremely painful.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Jade looked at Alain, panting. "Why did you scream?"

"If you could see what I'm seeing now you would scream, too."

She wanted to comment on that, tell him that what he was seeing was nothing compared to what she was feeling, but didn't get the chance to for she screamed again. She felt as if a part of her was stretching, and she pushed harder.

"Jade! Jade, the head's out! Come on, push! Push!"

"What the hell do you think I'm doing!" she couldn't help but feel enraged. Who could blame her? "AHHHHH!"

"I got shoulders. You're doing great, Jade. Push some more!"

Jade did as she was told, clenching her hands as she did so. Her body felt as if it was burning due to the stinging sensation of childbirth. She didn't want to feel this way anymore, she was exhausted and wanted this to be over and done with. She had no strength left.

"I need you to push, Jade."

She shook her head, tears pouring down her cheeks. She couldn't take no more, it hurt to much. "I-I can't... I can't..."

"Yes you can! Just one more push," he commanded. "You've made it this far, don't quit now."

That was easier said than done, but she nodded at him anyways, pulling together whatever strength she had left and giving one final push.

"The baby's out! Jade, you did it!"

There was silence at first, and Jade could feel the panic swelling in her chest. Her ears should be ringing with the cries of a baby. Why wasn't she hearing any crying?

She was just about to ask Alain what was wrong, when she heard it. The cries of her baby. Her baby was crying. _Her _baby. She took a moment to burn the sound of her child's cries in her memory. Despite the loudness of the sound, she cherished it. To her it was beautiful, like the sound of an angel. Suddenly, she found herself crying tears of joy.

Alain held the small child in his arms, feeling almost ready to cry himself, but he blinked the tears back. As he held the baby and cleaned it off gently, Dick woke up and looked around. He sat up, and his eyes fell upon the child in Alain's arms.

He smiled. "It's a boy."

"That's the umbilical cord," Alain corrected, chuckling softly.

"It's a girl," Dick said, then promptly passed out.

Alain muttered something incoherent about Dick, and finished his job. Once he was done, he passed the child in his arms over to Jade, who was leaning against her bed.

"Here's your baby girl," he said softly, passing her the baby. Once his hands were free, he patted her shoulder, smiling. "You did an awesome job, Jade."

"Thank you. So did you," she looked down at her baby, smiling. This moment felt so surreal to her. "She's beautiful..."

"Yeah, she really is," he said before standing up.

Jade looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Where are you going?"

"To call an ambulance to come pick you girls up, maybe get one for Dick, too," they shared a laugh. "And after I'm done with that I think I might throw up a little."

TT

After Alain called the ambulance, and after he threw up just a little, what he saw had upset his stomach, he called Roy, only to discover that Roy had accidentally left his cell phone in his room. It took the ambulance thirty minutes to arrive, and during this time Alain wrote a note for Roy. He pinned it to the front door, and once he did he got into Dick's car, Dick had finally woken up once he spilled ice cold water on him, and the two followed the ambulance.

About two hours later Roy, he managed to get out of work early thanks to a fellow coworker, finally got home. Once he did, he found the note, and his eyes nearly popped out. He immediately got back into his car and rushed to the hospital, to his surprise and relief he didn't earn any speeding tickets along the way.

It took him awhile to find the room Jade was emitted to, the nurses weren't very helpful, but once he spotted Alain leaning against a wall, he figured he was in the right place.

Alain spotted the red head and waved. "Roy, about time you got here. I mean, almost everyone is already here and--"

Roy took hold of Alain's shoulders. "Where's Jade?"

"She's in here," Alain replied, pointing to the room door that was next to them. "But she's sleeping."

"Sleeping?"

The ebony haired boy nodded.

"Is she alright?"

Again, he nodded.

"And the baby?"

"She's fine."

The red head sighed in relief, but then his eyes widened. "She?"

"Yeah, dude, you have a baby girl," he smiled proudly. "I should know, after all I helped deliver the baby."

Roy's eye twitched. "What?!"

Alain pulled Roy to the side and explained the events to him. At the end of his tale, Roy had pulled him into a hug, repeatedly telling him how great a friend he was. A pair of nurses saw and giggled, which caused Alain to flush in embarrassment and pull Roy off of him, who's grip was almost as strong as Jade's. Once the two separated, Roy dashed down the hall, promising to returned shortly.

"Where are you going?" Alain called out in puzzlement. Surely Roy wasn't going to leave, he had just arrived a few minutes ago.

Roy turned back to look at him, a broad smile on his face. "To see my daughter!"

That was easier said than done. As soon as he had taken off he had gotten lost. Luckily for him a kind nurse had pointed him in the right direction. He suddenly found himself in a hall filled with a handful of other people. Although everyone faced the same wall, which wasn't exactly a wall, but a large clear glass exposing the insides of a room, their attention was fixated on different things, or rather, different babies.

Roy found himself peering through the glass frantically. His eyes landed on a small bed with a label that read 'Lian Harper'. He stepped closer to the glass, his hands pressing against it as he took in the sight of a baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket and matching pink hat. Tears came to his eyes, and he didn't bother to try and force them down. Instead, he left them flow freely, his eyes unmoving from their spot.

He couldn't believe it. His baby girl was beautiful. Actually, that part he could believe, but what he couldn't believe was the fact that he was actually looking at her. She was really there, after waiting nine months she was really here. And as for him...

He was a father.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO TerraBB4Eva, BerryDrops, Daniella TT, cookiesruletheworld, Romancelover1321, TeenTitansFreakFan, .Spaz-attack101, Little Miss Juliet, Agent of the Divine One, RoseXxxXThorn, Hidden Iris, Sitcomfictioner, iBelieveInAngels, NegativeCloud, clarkLover1, Quibblo, sparklebluelemon AND tennisgal456 FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST! I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER!**

**YAWN! I'M SO SLEEPY... I WAS UP LATE FINISHING THIS CHAPTER. NOW MY HAND HURTS. BUT IT WAS WORTH IT! **

**OKAY, DRUM ROLL PLEASE... EXTRA THANKS TO ****sparklebluelemon**** FOR BEING REVIEWER ONE THOUSAND. SINCE THIS STORY HAS PASSED ONE THOUSAND REVIEWS, I THINK THIS IS A SPECIAL EVENT, YOU GET TWO FREE QUESTIONS! YOU CAN ASK ME ONLY TWO QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS STORY, OR ONE OF THE TWO SEQUELS THAT WILL FOLLOW. IF YOU LIKE, YOU CAN EVEN ASK ME ABOUT Sick Cycle Carousel OR When We Were Young. THE CHOICE IS YOURS. USE YOUR TWO QUESTIONS WISELY!**

**NEXT CHAPTER: AFTER SPENDING TIME IN THE HOSPITAL, ROY AND JADE FINALLY GET TO BRING LIAN HOME. HOW WILL THEY FAIR AS PARENTS? **

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	44. Total eclipse of the heart

A few days had passed since the birth of Lian. After delivering the baby, Jade had been emitted into the hospital along with her daughter. Hospital regulations required that the pair stay for a few days, which annoyed Jade beyond belief. She hated being cooped up in the hospital, it made her feel trapped.

Even so, she had to admit her stay there wasn't completely horrible. Roy had stayed by her side the entire time, missing school to do so. She appreciated his company for many reasons. Not only did he sneak in food for her, the hospital food didn't taste good at all, but he was her shoulder to cry on. He comforted her after she told him the details concerning her mother. With him by her side the days seemed to pass by quickly, and she and Lian were finally released.

Currently, the family of three were in Roy's car. Their destination was home. Jade had opted to sit in the back of the car with Lian, who was safely strapped in her car seat, a gift from Vic, with Roy behind the wheel.

"I can't believe we're actually taking her home," Jade told Roy as her fingers delicately touched Lian's soft black hair.

"I know!" Roy replied, a smile on his face. He couldn't smother the excitement swelling within him, he was extremely happy to have both of his girls with him. "You think she'll like the house? And her room? And her things?"

"I'm sure she'll love them," she replied, taking a moment to rest her hand on Roy's shoulder. "There's no need to worry."

"What about when Ollie and Dinah come back? I mean, I'm sure she'll get along fine with Dinah, but what if she thinks Ollie is some big hairy monster?"

Jade couldn't help but to laugh at his jab towards Ollie. "Please, I'm sure Ollie will become her favorite person. After all, he did promise to spoil her."

"You know, while we're on the subject of adults," Roy began as he made a turn. "When is your dad going to come on by?"

"I spoke with him yesterday. He said he doesn't have any free time until July."

"July? That sucks. I wanna show off our beautiful daughter now."

She laughed again. Was it just her, or had Roy turned completely soft?

About fifteen more minutes passed until they reached home. Roy parked the car in the driveway and followed Jade, who had Lian in her arms, to the front door. He paused a moment to rummage around his pocket for his keys, and upon finding them he proceeded to open the door. He and Jade stepped into the foyer, and suddenly they were caught off guard.

"Surprise!" Kori, Dick, Wally, Jenn, Raven, Gar, Terra, Babs, Toni, Alain, Karen, and Vic yelled in unison, popping out from the living room.

Their sudden outburst woke the sleeping Lian who then began to wail at the top of her lungs. Roy and Jade glanced at their baby, then at their friends. When their eyes rested on the small group of teenagers they narrowed. Their friends muttered a 'sorry' and 'oops'.

TT

It didn't take much to calm Lian down from her upset state. Roy had swooped in and gave the baby girl a bottle. Once she was done gobbling it down, Lian went back to sleep. The atmosphere was quiet and the friends began to mingle. The girls took over the living room and the boys took the kitchen as their citadel.

"Oh my gosh, Jade, she looks just like you," Terra pointed out, a broad smile on her face.

"Roy said the same thing," Jade replied, petting Lian's hair.

"She's so adorable."

"And her hair is so soft."

"She's so tiny."

"I love her cheeks."

"She really is beautiful."

"It's a good thing she looks like you and not Roy."

All the girls laughed at Jenn's comment, but once they saw Lian stir they immediately became quiet. They didn't want to wake the young girl up again. They waited a few seconds until they were actually sure she wouldn't wake before picking up their conversation.

"You know, you guys have been going on and on about me and Roy and Lian," Jade said as she leaned back on the sofa. "I wanna hear about you guys. Tell me everything." She grinned. "So what's going on? Anything new?"

"I'll tell you what's new," Jenn began as she pointed at Toni. "Our friends Toni here has gotten a case of jealousy.

"What?" Toni's eyes went wide and then narrowed. "I do not."

"Do, too," Jenn countered. "We were in the hallway at school last week, and then this girl trips, but Alain caught her in time before she hell. Then all of a sudden Toni's making this face--"

"I did not make a face."

"Yes you did," Jenn turned back to Jade. "So she's making this face, like 'I want to kill you for touching my man' type of face. Then she grabs Alain away from the girl and plants this _huge _smooch on him."

"Jade, don't listen to her. She's exaggerating."

"No, Jenn's right," Babs claimed. "I was there."

Jade surpressed a giggle. "Wow, Toni, I never knew you were the jealous type."

"I am not...," the other girls grinned at her with knowing eyes and she sighed. "Okay... maybe I am. But just a little! And I have every right to be." She flashed her engagement ring. "He's my fiancee."

"Fake fiancee," Raven corrected.

"So? The rest of the school doesn't know that. And besides...," Toni glanced over at Kori with a wicked gleam in her eye. Time to pass the torch over to someone else. "If you really wanna hear something interesting why don't you ask Kori what's been going on."

Karen and Raven looked at Kori.

"Yeah, what's going on, Kori?" Karen asked, cracking her knuckles.

Raven followed her example. "Do we need to break Dick's legs?"

"What? No," she answered quickly. "Dick has been really sweet. We haven't gotten into any arguments at all. But..."

"But...?"

"Alain told Toni and she told me that Dick wanted some advice about...," Kori blushed. "You know."

Jade gasped. "He didn't."

"He did."

"I'm surprised he asked for advice. Considering that he's Dick Grayson and his old ways and--"

"Okay, enough," Kori snapped, her face crimson. She didn't like being reminded of the way Dick used to be.

"So wait, I'm confused," Terra said suddenly. All eyes turned to her direction. "Have you and Dick done it already?"

"No. We're waiting because, well... I'm not ready yet."

"That's good for you girl," Karen said, looping an arm around Kori's shoulders. "You take all the time you need. Don't let him trick you with his devilish charm."

"So what about you, Karen?" Jade asked, shifting the conversation from a still blushing Kori. "How are things between you and Mal."

"We're fine. I actually have a date with him this week," Karen smiled with hearts in her eyes. "He's taking me to a concert."

"That's so awesome," she gave her friend a high five, smiling. "So since you guys are still good, do you mind hooking me up with another cake?"

"What happened to you wanting your cheerleader figure back?" Babs questioned.

"I still do," Jade replied. "But a piece of cake wouldn't hurt."

Meanwhile... The boys had settled themselves at the kitchen table. Each one of them had something in hand, whether it be a drink or snack. Currently they had just finished laughing at Dick, who's face was crimson in embarrassment.

"Come on you guys, it's not funny!" Dick snapped angrily.

"Dude, yes it is," Gar said in between chuckles. "I can't believe you fainted. Twice!"

"It's not what you think. I wasn't feeling good and the weather was hot--"

"No it wasn't," Roy cut in. "The weather was warm that day."

"Yeah... well," the spikey haired boy pointed a finger at his green haired friend. "Gar screamed like a girl when we saw Wicked Scary!"

"Dude! Not true! Tell them, Vic."

The larger boy took a sip of his soda before responding indifferently. "It's true. He did scream like a girl."

Gar crossed his arms, pouting in his seat. "Traitors."

"Hey guys, I hate to be the bringer of bad news," began Wally. "But we're all outta chips." He waved an empty bag of chips as evidence.

Roy snatched the bag and threw it at the red head's face. "That's because you ate it all!"

"We can always order something," Alain suggested, hand on his stomach. He was feeling famished.

"Cool!" Wally's face lit up in joy. "We can make Dick pay for everything."

"Hey! Why do I have pay? I always pay."

"Dude, you're rich. That means you pay. Duh."

"But so is Roy, Toni, and Kori."

"Hey! I'm a father now. I have expenses."

"And Toni's credit cards were taken away last week," Alain mentioned. "She still hasn't gotten them back."

"And you really wouldn't make Kori pay would you, Dick?" Vic inquired, a smirk on his face. Mention Kori's name and Dick was putty in his hands, easy to twist to his will.

"Well... no. But--"

"Then it's settled! Let's go ask the girls what they want."

The others all rose from their seats and filed out the kitchen and headed straight to the living room. Dick sighed and his head slumped onto the table.

"With friends like these I'm going to go broke."

TT

Time passed by and the sky above Jump City soon turned black. By this time everyone but Wally and Jenn had left to go home. The track star and cheerleader had lingered around a little longer then the others to help clean up the mess left by the day's affairs. With Wally, Jenn, and Jade working together the living room and kitchen became spotless in no time. Since the cleaning was done, Jade walked the couple to the front door.

Jenn enveloped her friend in a hug. "We had a great time today. Kiss Lian goodnight for me."

"Sure thing," Jade replied before pulling away and embracing Wally. "You two get home safe."

"We will. But you two better remember to be safe, too," Wally said, cracking a grin and winking at her.

Jade gave him a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"You and Roy have the house to yourself. Once Lian's asleep I'm pretty sure you two will stay up all night long and--"

Jenn punched him in the head. "Ignore him, Jade," she took Wally by the ear and began to pull him away. "Bye!"

"Bye," Jade responded before giggling. She shut the door and turned around just in time to see Roy descending the stairs. He wanted to be the one to put Lian to bed tonight. "Hey, she's asleep already?"

"Yup, out like a light," he stepped onto the foyer. "So Wally and Jenn left already?"

"Yeah, you just missed them."

"Oh...," he blushed. "Um, I wanted to ask you something..."

"What is it?"

"Do you... wanna sleep in my room?"

Her eyebrow twitched and her eyes narrowed. She raised a fist, ready to strike him. "You think just because we're alone--"

"No! No!" he waved his hands in front of him frantically. Just like the other girls he knew, Jade packed a powerful punch. "Not like that! I just wanted to hold you tonight."

She lowered her fist, genuinely surprised. Back in the day, had they been given an opportunity like this, Roy's hands would be pawing at her. "Really? You don't want to fool around?"

"Sure I do," he admitted. "But tonight I just want to be by your side."

She smiled at him before punching his arm. "Roy, you big softie."

He rubbed his arm. Though her punch was a playful one it still carried a lot of strength. "Is that a yes or a no."

She took his hand. "It's a yes."

The two went to bed after that. Jade found herself to be extremely comfortable enveloped in Roy's arms, and it wasn't long before the pair drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Their peace didn't last long.

It was around midnight when they heard crying. It took them a few minutes to comprehend that it was Lian who was making the noise, and they lazily sat up in bed, Jade rubbing her eyes and Roy yawning once they were up.

"I'll go check on her," Roy mumbled sleepily, throwing the covers off of himself.

Jade put a hand on his shoulder. "No, I'll go. You have school tomorrow."

He scratched his head, still in a daze. "You sure."

"Yeah, you just go back to sleep," she replied as she got out of bed and left the room.

She returned moments later, the crying have already been halted, and climbed back into bed with Roy. She cuddled next to him once more and placed his arm around her waist. With a smile on her face, she closed her eyes.

Five minutes later they were both forced to open their eyes. Lian was crying again, and like last time Jade went to go handle the small child. She returned after calming the young girl down and got comfortable.

Rest was disturbed thirty minutes later, and this time Roy went to go sooth the little girl. He returned to bed and was just about to rest his head on his pillow when Lian began to cry again.

The young couple sighed. This was going to be a long night.

TT

"Roy? Roy!" Jade vigorously shook her boyfriend's shoulder who had passed out on the kitchen's table. "Get up! You have to go to school!"

"I'm up... I'm up...," he mumbled, lifting his head off the table. He yawned and stretched out his arms.

She pecked his cheek and placed a mug before him before sitting down. "Drink this."

"What is it?"

"It's coffee."

He took a sip, and his eyes widened a bit. "This doesn't taste to bad."

"Gee, thanks."

He looked her over and raised a brow. Lian kept the both of them up, resulting in little to none sleep, yet Jade looked energetic. "How come you're not tired?"

"Tired?" she laughed at this, then looked at him with a beaming smile. "How can I be tired when I feel so pumped! It's just going to be me and Lian, I'm so excited."

"Really? Because I was thinking I could stay home today with the two of you."

"Roy, you've already missed way to much school, and you're not going to miss anymore on my watch. Besides, I doubt Ollie would appreciate you ditching class."

"But--"

"No buts. You're going, and that's final."

He was to tired to argue. "Fine..."

She smiled proudly. If dealing with Roy was this easy, dealing with Lian would be a piece of cake.

TT

Roy was so tired he felt like dead weight as he entered the school. His walking pattern was irregular, and his eyes were about a second away from closing. When they finally did close, he accidentally bumped into the lockers and fell down. He took a moment to curse, his eyes squeezed shut in frustration and pain.

"Wow, that's really pathetic man."

Roy's eyes opened, and once they did he spotted Dick who was looking down at him. The ebony haired boy extended a hand and helped him up.

"You look like crap," Dick said.

Roy narrowed his eyes as he rubbed his head. "Aren't you full of compliments."

"Rough night?"

He nodded. "Lian wouldn't stop crying."

"Bummer."

"I'm telling you man, this father stuff is way harder than I thought. Thank God Jade is by my side. She's so confident," he sighed pitifully. "I don't have a clue what I'm doing."

"Just stop over thinking everything and follow your gut, and you'll be fine," Dick advised. "Stay calm and remember to relax. Lian's your daughter, not a monster."

Roy paused and eyed Dick strangely. "Since when do you give out such good advice?"

"Hey," he felt rather insulted by the red head's comment. "I've always given out good advice."

Roy rolled his eyes. "Since when?"

Dick gritted his teeth. "Go bump into the lockers again."

TT

Despite having been tired during the morning, Roy's school day went off without a hitch. Thanks to Mr. Mod's absence, something the whole class was grateful for, he managed to get some sleep. This recharged him with enough energy to make it through the day. Also, his naps during free period and lunch didn't hurt either.

Currently he was in his car driving. He couldn't wait to get home. He couldn't wait to see Jade and Lian. It didn't take him long to arrive, and before he knew it he was parking his car. He left his vehicle and entered his home.

Upon doing so he immediately heard crying.

The cries were coming from the living room, so that's were he went. Upon entering the room he saw a distraught looking Jade holding a weeping Lian.

"Roy!" Jade said happily, glad to see her boyfriend was finally home. "Thank God you're here. Lian has been crying all day and I don't know what to do. Please help."

He went to her side immediately, dropping his school bag on the floor. "Give her to me. Maybe I can calm her down."

She did as she was told and gracefully handed him the baby. Once Lian was in Roy's arms he murmured sweet words and rocked her gently. It didn't take long for the crying to cease, and Jade's eyes flew open in amazement and jealously. Why was it that all he had to do was hold her and she became calm, whereas she held her she screamed at the top of her lungs?

"How did you do that?"

"I dunno. Guess I just have a way with kids."

For some reason his words stung her. "I guess you do," she took a seat on the sofa, her arms crossed. "How was school?"

"Eh, it was fine. Same old boring stuff," he glanced at her. "You hungry?"

"Uh," she ran a hand through her hair, trying to focus. "... yeah."

"Cool. So I'm going to bring Lian upstairs and you can order something or whip up something in the kitchen."

"I'm going to order something. I'm really not in the mood to cook anything."

"Okay," he replied absently.

She stood up, waiting for her welcome home kiss, but Roy passed by her and headed up the stairs. She watched him walk away and hung her head, feeling inadequate.

TT

Roy and Jade had settled in the living room with Chinese food on the coffee table. The television was on with one of Jade's favorite movies playing on screen. It was a peaceful setting, and Roy seemed to be enjoying himself, but Jade felt uneasy. Her mind kept dwelling on the day's events and how horribly she failed to calm her own daughter.

She felt weird. When she was in the hospital her and Lian were in perfect harmony, but now it was as if they drifted. Her eyes glanced over at Roy who was laughing at a joke made by the movie. He was great with Lian, _really _great. And he seemed happy. She looked down at her food and picked at it. Why couldn't she be like Roy? Why couldn't she be happy? Why did Lian cry so much with her today?

She dropped her fork and put her food onto he table. Suddenly she felt sick inside. "I think Lian hates me."

Her sudden confession had Roy looking at her in shock. "What? Why would you say something like that?"

She rubbed her arm awkwardly. "It's just... she reacted so well to you and not me..."

"That doesn't mean she hates you."

"You don't know that!" she snapped. She sighed and took a moment to compose herself. "Sorry... I'm just really worried that Lian dislikes me."

"That's impossible."

"Is it? My grandmother hated her mom. My mother hated her mother. And I don't think I need to go into detail about much I despise my mother. It's pattern."

"Look, you're being paranoid. So you had a bad day, that doesn't mean she hates you," he kissed her cheek. "Don't worry about a thing and just enjoy your food."

She pulled her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees, her arms wrapping around her legs. "I'm not hungry."

He raised a brow. "Jade, is this because you're feeling upset?"

"I'm really just not feeling hungry right now, honest," she told him, looking at the television. Her expression became perplexed. "What are we watching?"

"The Breakup. You should know, it's one of your favorite movies," he looked at her in concern. "Are you sure you're okay? You seem out of it now."

"I just didn't recognize the movie."

"We've been watching it for an hour now."

"I wasn't paying attention."

There was a silence pause.

Jade stood up. "I have a headache, so I'm going to go lay down."

As she began to walk away, he called out to her. "Jade, remember this, Lian and I both love you. Okay?"

She forced a smile before making her way to the stairs, there was so need to make him worry and spoil his mood. "Okay."

Once Jade reached the top of the stairs she made her way to her room and closed the door behind herself. Her hand took a fistful of her shirt, right where the heart would be. She could feel something was wrong. Nothing was going as planned. She chose to be a mother, chose to have her baby and raise it, yet she suddenly found herself feeling full of regret.

Was it possible that she made the wrong decision?

She found her legs growing week and crumpled to the floor, her breathing heavy.

Why was she having such thoughts? She was supposed to be happy. Lian was home, safe with her and Roy. That was all she ever wanted. Her dream had come true, she should be happy.

But she wasn't.

It was at that moment tears began to stream down her eyes, and she covered her mouth to stifle a sob. "What's wrong with me?"

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO BerryDrops, clarkLover1, sparklebluelemon, Romancelover1321, TerraBB4Eva, .Spaz-attack101, Little Miss Juliet, Quibblo, TeenTitansFreakFan, xxScriblezxx, RoseXxxXThorn, Hidden Iris, Star of Airdrie, Agent of the Divine One, cookiegurl15, iBelieveInAngels, mythica magic, DaniellaTT, cookiesruletheworld AND chicagobabe FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! SERIOUSLY, YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO WITHOUT YOU ALL. I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER!**

**NEXT CHAPTER: AS JADE CONTINUES TO STRUGGLE AT BEING A PARENT, JENN STRUGGLES WITH A PROBLEM OF HER OWN, ONE THAT INCLUDES WALLY. AND TONI'S NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH A SPECIAL RING ON HER FINGER ANYMORE.**

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	45. It's not my time

It was the evening time and Jenn found herself huddled over her toilet, her chest rising as her lungs took in the oxygen she needed. Her body was trembling as she felt something rising in her throat, and she quickly opened her mouth to expel what was within her. She had been at this for about twenty minutes now, and she didn't move from her position until she was sure she wasn't going to vomit again.

As she stood up she breathed into her palm, smelling her breath. Her face scrunched up in disgust. "Ew."

She spent the next few minutes in the bathroom brushing her teeth. By the time she emerged from the bathroom and went to the living room, her mother was looking at her with concerned eyes.

"Jenn, are you feeling any better?" her mother, also known as Nicole, asked as stood from her seat on the sofa. Jenn couldn't help but notice the look of worry on her face upon meeting her gaze.

"I'm fine," she responded as she sat on the sofa and began to remove the clip from her hair. Her hair then went from a messy bun to slightly wavy. "I think I just have an upset stomach." She frowned as she thought of the pasta her mother made for dinner. With her condition she wouldn't be able to stomach any food without puking.

Her mother sat across from her on the coffee table. "What did you eat today? Maybe something you ate upset your stomach."

"Uh...," Jenn slouched in her spot as she recalled the events of the day. "I had a pop-tart, a ham sandwich, some chocolate, and a hot-dog. Do you really think it was the food? Because when I was eating, it all tasted really good to me."

There was a long pause, and during this time Jenn felt her eyelids growing heavy. Today had been a long day, and at the current moment she was drained of all her energy. Her mother's eyes had closed by this time, but not because she was tired. She had her eyes closed in deep contemplation, her hands knitted together by her fingers. There were many possible explanations as to why Jenn was throwing up, but Nicole's mind settled on one thought in particular.

She opened her eyes and gazed upon Jenn with a serious expression. "Jennifer, sit up please."

"Uh-oh," Jenn uttered quietly, sitting up in her seat. Not only did her mom, who was usually care free, have a serious countenance, but she used her full name. Not _Jenn_, or _Jenny_ as her mom sometimes liked to call her, but _Jennifer_. Suddenly the pink haired girl found herself going over a list of ideas as to what she possibly did wrong. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it."

"You're not in trouble sweetheart," Nicole said, making Jenn sigh in relief. "I just want to talk."

She crossed her legs, feeling at ease. "Okay. About what?"

There was a pause before she replied. "How are things between you and Wally?"

That was a question that caught her off guard, but she quickly composed herself and answered it. "We're fine. Strong as ever. I mean, yeah, sometimes he gets a little annoying, but it's nothing a good slap doesn't take care of," she punched her fist into the palm of her hand, laughing lightly. "But he's so sweet there's hardly ever a reason to hit him."

"Okay, I'm glad to hear that you two are stable, but... How is your _sexual _relationship?"

Jenn's face turned completely red and her expression was one of complete horror. "M-mom?!"

"Oh, don't act shy. I'm well aware of what takes place between the two of you when I'm not here," she patted Jenn's knee, a smile on her face. "Now come on, spill. As your mother I want to know the details of your life."

Jenn felt as if her head was about to explode. She couldn't believe she was having this conversation with her _mother_. "Do you really need _those _details?! There's a thing called privacy you know!"

"I'm not asking to know everything. I just want to know if you two are using protection."

By this time, Jenn had already buried her face in one of the pillows that resided on the couch. Her reply was a bit muffled, but her mother heard her response quite well. "...yes."

"And the last time you two had sex, when was it?"

Jenn figured it would be best to answer the questions as quick as possible. The sooner this conversation was over, the better. "Last month."

"Did you use protection then?"

"I don't remember..."

"You're supposed to use protection every time you have sex. If you want, I'll buy the condoms for you."

"Oh God...," she suddenly felt the urge to throw up again. "Please tell me this conversation is over and done with."

"Jenn, we're having a serious discussion here. I want you to know that it's extremely important that you protect yourself. All it takes is one time to end up...," she stopped herself from saying anymore, and Jenn found herself finally making eye contact with her mother.

"To end up what? Pregnant?" Jenn narrowed her eyes. "That's what you were going to say, right?"

"Jenn--"

She cut her off angrily. "Do you think I'm pregnant? Is that why you're asking all these stupid questions?"

"It's a possibility that you could be."

"No it's not!" she screamed, standing to her feet. "I'm not pregnant so you can leave me alone now!"

"It wasn't my intention to make you angry, believe me it wasn't, but this isn't the first time you've thrown up this week. And when is the last time you've had your menstrual cycle?"

"Mom! Just shut up! Please, I don't want to talk about this anymore," she snapped as she stormed off.

Nicole stood up as well. "Where are you going?"

"To bed. I have school tomorrow," she went to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her, making Nicole cringe.

Once inside her room she went straight to bed, her face set in a scowl. How dare her mother even suggest that she could be pregnant? She wasn't that irresponsible. She knew how to take care of herself. Rolling over onto her back, she found herself locked in a staring contest with the ceiling. For a moment she felt as if the lavender paint was mocking her.

A sigh escaped her lips, and her anger began to melt away like ice on a hot summer day. With her anger gone, her mind felt free to dwell on her mother's words. Even though she didn't want to admit it, her mother did make some good points. All it takes is one time without protection to end up pregnant, Jade was a good example of that, and she had been throwing up a lot lately. Not to mention her period was way overdue. Was it possible that she...

She gulped as her hand fell upon her stomach.

TT

Usually the mornings of Jump City High School was reserved for classes, but as soon as students took their seats this morning they were immediately asked to stand and line up. Today's morning was reserved for an assembly, meaning a get-out-of-class free card, something the students who had Mr. Mod's class was extremely grateful for.

Once they were lined up, the students were directed to the auditorium. Kori, Dick, Vic, Raven, Karen, Gar, Terra, Babs, Roy, Alain, Toni, Wally, and Jenn all ended up in the same row. They spoke amongst themselves, trying to figure out what the assembly was about, but each of them drew a blank. They were as oblivious as every other student in the auditorium. However, it wasn't long before all questions were answered. A group of people took the stage and began to talk about abstinence.

"So ends the mystery of what the assembly is about," Raven commented to Karen who was sitting besides her. She then proceeded to crack open her latest novel, uninterested in what the people on stage had to say.

Other students shared the same feeling as Raven did and found something to do to preoccupy their time. Some decided to send text messages on their phones, eat a little snack, play a hand held game, listen to their iPods, sleep, chat amongst themselves, read, draw, daydream, or complete some unfinished homework. The students who did not do this actually sat quietly in their seats and paid attention to the lecture. They even found the skit preformed to be somewhat amusing.

The assembly lasted for two whole periods, and half of period three. It ended when one of the cheerful women on stage said some final words.

"Well that's all we have to say today, and hopefully you kids will take what you've learned today and apply it to yourselves. As you head out, don't forget to pick up some pamphlets to share with your family members and buddies! Also, for those of you who are truly dedicated to abstinence, please pick up one of our rings. Not only are the rings dandy, but free, too!" she smiled ear to ear before handing the microphone to Mr. Wilson.

He took it, and with his one eye he glared at the student body. "If you decide to pick up a ring or pamphlet, that's a good choice, but after that I expect you all to proceed to class as if it wasn't interrupted. I don't want any hanging out in the hallway. You are all dismissed."

Students left their seats and began to leave the auditorium. They left either talking, laughing, stretching, or yawning. Dick and his friends did a little of all four, but mostly they were laughing.

"Can you believe this assembly," Dick said in between laughs. "It was freakin' ridiculous."

Vic, Roy, Alain, Wally, and Gar crowded around him, creating some distance between them and the girls.

"Tell me about it," Wally responded as he slung an arm around Dick's shoulders. "I mean, there is _no _way I would ever wait until I was married."

"Imagine if you did, but you never get married," Vic said. "You'd be a virgin forever! No thank you."

"That's a scary thought," Roy commented. "But I think it's a little to late for them to be shoving this abstinence talk down our throats. I mean, the four of us aren't even virgins anymore."

"Speaking of which," Vic put his arm around Alain and Gar. "When do you two plan to do it?"

Alain removed Vic's arm. "When I'm good and ready. And for your information, abstinence isn't so bad. In fact, I wouldn't mind waiting until I'm married."

The others stopped in unison, their expressions one of surprise and horror.

Dick was the first to regain his composer. "Dude, something is seriously wrong with you," he eyed his green haired friend. "Please tell me you're not on his side."

"I'm not," Gar answered. "But I'm going to wait until Terra's ready."

"Waiting until the girl is ready. That's really great, Gar," Alain said, eyes looking knowingly at Dick. He pointed a finger at the ebony haired boy. "Maybe you can teach our friend here something about patience."

"Hey, I'm totally patient!"

"Are not."

"Are, too."

"Are not!"

"Are, too!"

"Uh, Dick...," Roy tapped his shoulder, breaking the glaring contest he and Alain had started. "There's something you should see."

"What?"

Roy pointed, and Dick's eyes followed his direction. To his surprise and dismay he spotted Kori standing next to a table, a pamphlet in hand, with the abstinence people talking to her.

"What's she doing?" Dick asked in a panicky voice. "She's not doing what I hope she's not doing, is she?" He continued to watch Kori as the woman at the table showed her a ring. He couldn't help but notice the smile that graced his girlfriend's face as she eyes the ring with interest. Before he could even realize it, Dick was running towards her direction. "Noooo!"

As he ran towards her he felt as if the world around him went in slow motion. He had to stop Kori from getting that ring. He was willing to wait until she was ready, but waiting until marriage was a whole different story. He couldn't picture his life without Kori, or falling in love with any other girl but her, but marriage was the last thing on his mind. Who knew when that would happen, or if it would happen at all. His body moved faster, and just as he pushed two students out the way, Kori already had examined the ring and slipped it on her finger.

Immediately he froze, mouth agape and eyes the size of dinner plates. At that moment he swore he could hear a horror tune playing in the background. It took every bit of energy he had in his body not to crumple on the floor and start a tantrum.

Roy patted his shoulder. "Sucks for you man."

Alain snickered. "Have fun being patient."

Wally was next. "I'm so glad I'm not you."

The three of them walked ahead, and then Vic and Gar came to his side.

"It's not the end of the world," Gar pointed out, hoping to make Dick feel better. He got no response and shrugged before walking away.

Vic stood beside him and tried to think of something comforting to say, but seeing Dick's reaction caused him to laugh, and he was unable to stop. Seeing as how he was adding insult to injury he decided to walk away, leaving Dick alone. His shoulders slumped and a sigh escaped him.

Reluctantly, he dragged his feet off to class. "I hate my life."

TT

As soon as school ended, it was straight to cheer practice for Jenn and Kori. Babs was unable to come for she had something to do with her father, meaning Jenn and Kori were left alone to chat with each other as they stretched. While they did so, they caught sight of Wally and Dick sitting on the bleachers. Wally waved at them, so they waved back.

"What's wrong with Dick?" Jenn asked as she straightened up. "He's been acting depressed ever since that assembly today."

"I don't know," Kori answered, a frown on her face. "But hopefully he'll snap out of it for our date."

"That's great. Wally's taking me out today, too."

Kori giggled. "I bet I know what you two plan on doing afterwards."

Jenn forced a laugh and looked away. She hadn't forgotten what her mother told her last night, she couldn't. Every time she tried to push the memory away it came back with a vengeance. Because of it she hadn't been able to concentrate all day, but hopefully a little cheer practice would take her mind off of things. The last thing she wanted to think about was the possibility of herself being pregnant. The thought alone was scary enough to make her want to scream.

She clapped her hands to gather the attention of her fellow cheerleaders. "Okay everyone, let's start practicing our new routine. Center field, c'mon!"

As she moved forward, Jenn collided with Kitten.

"Hey, watch it!" Kitten snapped, glaring.

Jenn rolled her eyes. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Kitten's attitude. "Sorry, Kitten."

Kitten's expression was one of surprise. "That's it?"

"I'm going to be honest with you. I haven't been feeling well, so I'm not in the mood to argue with you."

Kitten laughed. "Oh, this is priceless."

She sighed. "Kitten--"

"Maybe it's all that weight you've been gaining that's making you feel so low."

Jenn's eyes widened and she couldn't help but gaze down at her belly. Had she gained weight? Suddenly her mother's words rang in her ears, haunting her. She backed up, her eyes on her teammates. "Practice is cancelled for today."

Her teammates began to mutter, clearly angry.

"What?"

"Why?"

"We just finished warming up, and now you're bailing on us," Kitten shook her head, a smirk on her face. "That's very unprofessional."

Kori took a step towards her friend. "Jenn, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Jenn felt tears coming to her eyes, and before they even had the chance to fall she ran. Wally was on his feet immediately and instantly went after her.

Kori glared at Kitten. She had the urge to punch the blonde into oblivion, but controlled herself. "What did you do to her?"

Kitten shrugged indifferently. "Nothing. It's not my fault she's a freak."

Kori took an angry step forward, but stopped when she felt someone grab her arm. She turned her head to the side to see it was Dick.

"Don't waste your energy on her, Kori," Dick said as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "She's not worth it."

He lead her off the field, with Kitten glaring at their backs.

TT

Jenn stormed into her apartment and into her living room, throwing her bag onto the floor as she did so. Wally followed her inside, making sure to lock the door behind him. When he went to the living room, he found Jenn pacing as she wiped the tears off her face. She looked frustrated and fragile, and above all else furious and scared.

"What did Kitten say to you to get under your skin?" Wally inquired, worried. Normally when someone upset Jenn she would either pick a fight with the person, or start cursing up a storm. She wasn't one to cry easily. "Look, whatever she said just forget about it, okay? Kitten's a bitch, she's just trying to mess with your head."

"You don't understand, Wally," she replied softly as she sat on the sofa, more tears coming to her eyes. "My problem goes beyond Kitten."

"Well then what is it?" he asked, sitting besides her and rubbing her back. "Talk to me."

"I don't want to," she muttered as she turned away from him. Truthfully she did, but how could she even begin to tell him that she might be pregnant? And what if he reacted negatively? This whole situation was confusing and it sucked. Big time. "Why are you even here? You didn't have to follow me home, so you can go now."

"First of all, I'm not going anywhere. There's no way I'm leaving you alone when you're upset. And second, I wasn't going to let you drive home by yourself when you're such a mess."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not. Now stop being so stubborn and tell me what's bothering you."

She stood up and moved away from him. "Nothing is bothering me!"

He stood up as well. "Just tell me what's wrong!"

"No!"

"Jenn!"

"Fine!" she snapped, turning to face him. "You want to know what's my problem? You are! Because of you, I might be pregnant!"

Wally felt his world stop and his legs felt weak. He fell onto the couch, his eyes wide in shock. His head was spinning, and Jenn's words kept replaying in his mind. She might be pregnant... He felt a lump in his throat, he might be a father.

As he became lost in his own thoughts, a few minutes of uncomfortable silence passed. Jenn bit her lip as she gazed at the blank look on his face. This was bad. This was very, _very_, bad. Feeling nervous, she began to ramble.

"Look, nothing is set in stone, okay. I haven't even been tested yet. It's just a possibility. There's no need for the two of us to get worked up over nothing."

"Worked up over nothing," Wally repeated, finally snapping out of his stupor. "Jenn, you might me carrying my child! This is serious!"

"Don't you think I know that!" she rubbed her temples. "God, Wally."

"Well you're acting like it's not a big deal. I thought--"

"I know it's a big deal, okay! I barely got any sleep last night thinking about this! I'm scared outta my freakin' mind, and I'm trying to keep a level head about this," she sighed. "But as you can see, that's not working out to well." She sat down on the sofa, far from Wally, and buried her face in her hands. "I don't want to be pregnant."

He looked at her and suddenly felt guilty. He should have considered her feelings before yelling at her. This whole thing put a lot more pressure on her than it did him, so he could understand why she was trying to make things seem nonchalant. It helped her calm down a little to think of it as not a big deal.

He scooted closer to her. "Jenn, I--"

"Please, Wally... just go home."

"But--"

"Please," she whimpered, looking away from him. "Please."

"Alright," he replied softly, standing to his feet. "If that's what you really want."

"It is."

"Okay then," he leaned down to give her a kiss, but she turned away from him. Although he didn't take it personally, it still hurt. He decided to give her a kiss on top of her head before walking to the door. He took one last look at Jenn, considering whether or not he should say something but decided against, before leaving.

Once she was alone, Jenn broke down and cried.

TT

Kori was happily drinking her milk shake, completely oblivious to the fact that Dick was watching her. To be more precise, he was watching her hand, or more specifically the ring on her finger. The abstinence ring Kori had gotten today was a silver band, and engraved onto it was the word 'pure' in capital letters. Dick could swear that stupid ring was mocking him with all it's abstinence glory. It was taunting him with the one thing he wanted in the world, and telling him he couldn't have it.

Dick hated that ring with every inch of his body.

He was so consumed in glaring at that ring that he failed to notice that Kori was now looking at him. To her, he seemed bored and upset. She was beginning to wonder if she did something wrong. He hadn't said much since they entered the diner, and his food remained untouched.

Kori shifted uncomfortably. The silence was suffocating.

She cleared her throat. "Your food is getting cold."

He remained unmoving, his chin still resting in the palm of his hand and his eyes narrowed. Not one word escaped his lips.

"Are you mad or something?" she asked. Maybe she had done something to make him angry. "Did I do something wrong?"

This caught his attention, and he shook his head. "No, you didn't do anything."

"So then what's wrong? You've been giving me the silent treatment ever since we sat down."

He rested his chin in the palm of his hand once more and directed his eyes away from her. "I just have a lot of stuff on my mind, that's all."

"Like what?"

"Y'know," he began indifferently. "Stuff."

She huffed and crossed her arms, leaning back with a scowl on her face.

Dick noticed this and felt guilty for being so elusive with her, but what was he supposed to do? Tell her that he was angry about her abstinence ring? That he was upset she had chosen to get one without talking to him about it first? Her decision to get that ring and make a promise to remain 'pure' until marriage effected him, too. That damn ring was effecting him negatively.

He sighed, knowing full well that he should talk about this with her, but didn't have a clue as to how. He thought of possible things to say; _Hey, Kori. The reason why I'm so angry is because of that stupid ring on your finger. I hate it, and everything it stands for. Take it off now._

_Oh, she would love that_, Dick thought sarcastically. He knew telling her something like that was a big no, and it most likely would do more harm than good. It would probably earn him a slap to the face, too.

He gazed at her ring again, thinking it was probably best to come right out and talk about the damned thing. Saying something was better than saying nothing, and sulking wasn't much help either.

"Hey, Kori...," he began carefully. "Why did you decide to get an abstinence ring?"

She looked at him with surprised eyes. Whether it was because he was talking or his question, he had no idea.

"Oh," she absently rotated said ring on her finger, gazing at it with a small smile. "I just thought it would be nice... To be honest I never gave abstinence much thought, but I always dreamed that loving my husband would be a wonderful experience. After listening to those people at the assembly, I guessed one way to make my dream more wonderful would be by giving my husband something special. And I like the thought of sharing my first time with the person I love after making our commitment stronger."

She smiled at him after she finished speaking, and Dick fought the urge to groan in frustration. How could he possibly change her mind after she said all of _that_?

After several seconds of opening and closing his mouth in a dumb fashion, he managed to get some words out. "You know... you don't have to be married to have a wonderful first time. Just saying."

"Really," she leaned forward, her expression unreadable, as she rested her chin in her hands. "Was your first time wonderful?"

He almost felt as if she had punched him. "Uh... y'know," he replied lamely, feeling as if he was about to choke. Her blank expression was making him sweat. "Y'know."

"No, actually I don't know. I'm still a virgin," she pointed a finger at him. "You, on the other hand, are not. So was your first time enjoyable?"

"You really don't need to know anything about that," he stammered, wishing he would have kept his big mouth shut.

"Dick," her tone was serious, as was the look in her eyes. "Did you enjoy having sex with my sister?"

He cursed the day he ever stepped foot in Komi's room. That _one _time was coming back to haunt him and painfully kick his butt in the worse way.

"C'mon, Kori... don't make me say it," he begged. He couldn't help but feel as if she put him in a trap. No matter how he answered he was doomed. Say no, and she would know that he was lying. Say yes, and she would become angry with him. Not only would telling her the truth be like digging his own grave, but he was sure it would hurt her a lot more than it would him. As strong as Kori was, she was still a very sensitive girl.

"Fine, you don't have to say anything."

He sighed in relief, but the feeling of being in the danger zone sprung up on him again thanks to Kori's next words.

"What about your second time?"

He looked at her oddly. "Huh?"

"Did you enjoy your second time having sex?" she asked. Her expression was still unreadable, but he was starting to catch onto the jealousy in her tone. "You know, with that girl named Carrie? The girl you dumped me for."

"Hold on just a sec, I did not dump you for her. That's not--"

"Just answer the question."

"Kori, I'm not going to answer a question like that."

"That's fine, because I'm not going to take advice about when my first time should be!"

Everything became silent after Kori's outburst, and other people in the diner began to stare. Kori and Dick waited until all eyes were off of them before even thinking about picking up their conversation.

Kori was the first ti speak, and she kept her eyes focused on her lap. "I'm sorry I yelled."

"I'm sorry, too," he replied softly. After a pause he continued. "I wasn't trying to tell you when you should have your first time, it's just... I know we agreed to wait, but... I didn't realize you wanted to wait that long."

She looked up at him, her eyes soft. "I don't know what to say... I'm not like you, Dick. I know growing up with Bruce, playboy extraordinaire, you probably think having sex is no big deal, but it is to me. I can't just give up something so special to just anyone and at any time."

He saw the tears coming to her eyes and passed her a napkin. She took it and thanked him. He observed her for a moment and knew the only way to make things right would be for him to express his feelings as well. Normally he was against such conversations, but he was willing to bend for Kori's sake.

"You're right, Kori," he admitted, causing her to look at him with a perplexed expression. "Before I thought sex was no big deal. I thought it was just something to do to help take your mind off things and gain some pleasure. Bruce always acted as if it wasn't so important, not that I'm pinning this on him or anything." He sighed. "But that was before, that was the old me. Being with you, I've changed."

She sighed, unconvinced. "Dick--"

"It's true! I really have changed. Before, if a girl I was with wouldn't give me what I wanted I would move on or mess around on the side, but I can't do that with you," he took her hand in his, ignoring the irritated look that came to her face when he talked about his old ways. "Kori, I love _you_. I want to be with _you_, and only _you_. You're the only girl I want to kiss, to hold, to touch, to do other things with..."

She knew what those 'other things' meant.

"Kori, I don't know how the future will work out, but what I do know is that you're the only girl I love, and I don't plan on ever giving you up. So if you want to wait until we're married, then we'll wait," he squeezed her hand. "I'm willing to do anything to be with you."

She was touched by his words, and immediately leaned over the table to capture his lips in a kiss. When the kiss was on the verge of becoming a French kiss, she pulled away and smiled at him.

"Thank you for understanding," she said softly.

He smiled at her. "You're worth the wait."

She squeezed his hand. "I love you, and I don't plan on ever giving you up, either," she blushed. "I..."

"Yeah," he pressed.

"I want to wait until I'm married, but... if it's with the person I love, and if the time is right... I wouldn't mind doing it sooner."

He blinked in surprise. "A-are you serious?"

She nodded.

"You're not just saying that because of me?"

"I meant what I said, Dick. I really mean it."

"Kori...," he didn't know what else to say, so instead he went to her side of the booth they were sitting in and kissed her deeply, pulling her in close.

They pulled away and rested their foreheads against each other.

Kori locked eyes with him, her arms around his neck. "It may take me twenty years."

His eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?!"

She couldn't help but laugh.

TT

The next day, Jenn had decided not to go to school. She didn't feel like seeing Wally and thought this was the best way to avoid him. After he had left her home yesterday, she purposely ignored his phone calls and test messages. She even went as far as turning off her laptop and stowing it away in her dresser under all her shirts. It was wrong to ignore him, she knew this, but she couldn't help it. She didn't know what else to do. They had a lot to discuss, but what could she possibly say to him?

Thinking about her actions, Jenn felt the situation was rather ironic. What she was doing was childish, something she had often scolded Wally about. Yet here she was, lacking any form of maturity.

Yet another reason as to why she shouldn't be a parent. She had begun a mental list of reasons as to why she was unfit to have a baby of her own at such a young age, and it was a long list. Which is why she couldn't be pregnant. She just couldn't. It wasn't part of her master plan.

Said plan was set in perfect order. First she would graduate high school, then go to college. After college she would spend time learning art from professionals all around the world, then build a career of her own. Once that was accomplished she would marry Wally, live in an enormous house paid off by her fame and fortune, then start a family. They would have one boy and one girl, as well a pony for a pet. Her master plan did _not _include becoming pregnant while still in high school.

Even so... it still didn't change the fact she still might be pregnant, and that her master plan would have to change in order to fit the addition of a child if she was.

It was a lot to think about, and Jenn knew that her mother and Wally would be willing to talk with her about it, but she chose not to go to them. Instead, she decided to have a talk with Jade. If anyone would understand her position, it was Jade. Not only did it make perfect sense to talk to her, but Jade was her best friend. She knew she could lean on her shoulder any time.

Currently Jenn was sitting in Jade's living room. She had just finished telling her everything, and the expression on Jade's face was one of complete shock.

"You can say something any time now," Jenn stated, feeling much like an ugly piece of art that people pointed and laughed at.

Jade snapped out of her stupor. "I'm sorry, it's just... _wow_. I mean... _wow_."

Jenn crossed her arms and leaned back on the sofa. "Tell me what you really think."

The ebony haired girl gave her an apologetic look. She knew first hand what it was like to be in Jenn's situation, so she knew how little her previous comment helped. "I'm just surprised. I didn't mean to be so insensitive."

"Well I guess your reaction is better than the one I got from Wally."

"At least he didn't faint on you," Jade pointed out before laughing, remembering the time when she told Roy she was pregnant.

Jenn laughed, but her laughter quickly ceased and sorrow set in. She wished Wally would have fainted, then maybe the situation yesterday wouldn't have turned so ugly.

Jade saw the look on Jenn's face and rubbed her arm. "Hey, it's okay."

She nodded as tears came to her eyes. "I'm just really scared."

"I know, but this fear you have is only going to get worse the longer you wait it out. You need to find out if you're pregnant for sure."

"I know, I know, but I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"Because then it all becomes real! The possibility, the baby if there is one, the future... I'm not ready."

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Jade said quickly, pulling the crying girl into her embrace. She rubbed her back. "Take all the time you need. I'm always here if you need me."

She sniffled. "Thank you."

Once Jenn had settled down, the two girls decided to partake in some fun activities to get their minds off of things. They robbed the kitchen of any junk food they could find and settled in the living room. As they ate, they chatted about anything that came to mind: boys, fashion, childhood... They eventually ran out of stuff to talk about and went on to watch comedy movie after comedy movie. Both girls were enjoying themselves immensely, and currently they were in the middle of watching John Tucker Must Die, when they heard a crying noise emitting from the baby monitor.

"Looks like Lian is up," Jenn told Jade as she took the remote. "I'll pause it."

"No, no, leave it," Jade said, grabbing the remote and setting it down on the coffee table. Her eyes remained focused on the television and she laughed at a funny scene.

Jenn glared at the baby monitor. Lian was still crying. Her eyes turned to Jade who seemed indifferent to the noise. "Jade, shouldn't you go check on her?"

"No need, she's fine."

"But she's crying. Don't you think you should check on her?"

"Don't tell me how to raise my kid!" Jade snapped. She turned her head towards Jenn, who looked shocked. "Jenn... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I'm just stressed."

Jenn locked eyes with her for several seconds before nodding slowly. "It's okay... If you want I can go check on her."

"Would you?"

"Yeah," Jenn replied as she stood up. "No problem."

Jenn headed up the stairs, and Jade sighed as she absently ran a hand through her hair. She didn't mean to be so indifferent towards Lian, she was just having so much fun with Jenn... Was it so wrong to devote some attention to her friend? She had been taking care of Lian ever since she came home from the hospital, so what if she let herself become side tracked this one time.

_Besides_, Jade thought, feeling both bitter and sad. _I bet Lian is glad I didn't go check on her. It's not like she likes me anyway..._

It took a few seconds for Jade to realize that the crying had ceased, and she looked at the baby monitor in astonishment. How was Jenn able to calm Lian so quickly? She jumped to her feet and ran up the stairs to discover the answer.

When she got to the nursery, she saw Jenn rocking Lian in her arms. She stood by the doorway, unsure whether or not if she should disturb this peaceful setting.

Before she got the chance to decide for herself, Jenn spotted her.

"Came to see how I was doing?" Jenn questioned, a smile on her face.

"Uh... yeah," Jade replied, taking a timid step inside. "I thought it was unfair to just let you handle her alone."

"Hey, it's no problem. I love this little girl."

There was a pause before Jade spoke again. "I'm sure she feels the same way about you."

Jenn's cell phone began to ring.

"Oh, I should see who it is," Jenn said, stepping closer to Jade. "I'm sure Lian would liked to be held by her mom right about now."

Jade took a step back. It was a horrible feeling, but she didn't want to hold Lian. "No, you better put her back in her crib so she can get some sleep."

"Oh, okay," she did as she was told before checking her phone. When she saw who was calling her, she nearly dropped her phone. "Holy crap it's Wally!"

"Well, answer it."

Jenn bit her lip.

"You can't avoid him forever, Jenn."

There was a long pause in which the phone continued to ring, and Jenn reluctantly answered it. "... Hey."

Jade watched as Jenn exchanged words with Wally for a few minutes before snapping her phone shut. "What did he say?"

Jenn clutched her phone. "He wants me to go meet him so we can talk."

She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway. "Are you going?"

"I can't avoid him forever right?" Jenn went to her friend and gave her a hug. "Thanks for all the help today."

"No problem."

"Wish me luck," she said before leaving the nursery.

"Luck...," Jade waved at Jenn's retreating form and sighed. She really hoped things would work out well for her friend.

TT

Wally and Jenn had decided to meet at the park, and currently they sat on one of the many benches. Neither one of them were speaking, which clearly wasn't helping their situation at all. Realizing this, Wally was the first to speak.

"How come you didn't answer any of my calls yesterday? I was worried about you."

She blushed a little. "Sorry, but I was sorta avoiding you."

"Sorta?"

"Okay, I was. I just didn't know how else to deal..."

"You know, I'm pretty freaked out myself about this whole thing."

She glanced at him. "Really?"

"Really," he turned to her. "Look, I want you to know I'm on your side. No matter what happens, you can count on me. We can deal with this together."

She rested her chin in the palm of her hands, dwelling on his words. There was no denying it, hearing him say those words were a big comfort to her. It made her feel less scared. "Together huh?"

"Yeah," he scooted closer to her. "Jenn, I love you, and I know we can get through this as a team. Whatever you need, I'll help."

She looked down. "You mean that?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Then... will you come with me to buy a pregnancy test?"

He took her hand and squeezed it, pulling her up. "C'mon."

They left the park and headed for the nearest store. Wally was just about ready to step inside, but Jenn pulled him back.

He looked at her oddly. "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared. What if someone we know walks in or something?"

"Don't worry about that. I'm right here with you," he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her in the direction of the store's sliding doors. "You're a strong girl, Jenn. Don't forget that."

They entered the store and after several minutes of wandering around they finally found the pregnancy tests. The two stared oddly at the boxes in front of them, unsure of how to go about this.

"Do we... do we just pick one?"

"I don't know... Maybe we should get some other things, too, that way it doesn't look to weird."

"Does it really matter? I mean, it's weird for us either way."

"You know what, let's just buy the damned thing and get out of here."

They picked a random box off the shelf and made their way to the cash register. They got stuck on line, and while they waited a few people who noticed the pregnancy test in Wally's hand began to stare. He noticed the stares, and Jenn who looked uncomfortable because of it, and glared at the people. Immediately the stares stopped, and they waited on line without any mishaps. Before they knew it, they were paying for their items and heading out the store.

TT

Jenn emerged from the bathroom of her home and went to the living room to wait with Wally. The instructions on the box said that the results would take at least five minutes before showing up.

She sat down besides Wally and their eyes locked. "So..."

"So...," he repeated.

A small chuckle escaped her. "I feel like I'm in court with a judge ready to ship me off to prison."

He laughed. "Me, too."

"We have a few minutes to burn," she mentioned. "Should we talk...?"

"Sure. About what?"

She looked away. "Do I really have to say it?"

He caught on quickly. She wanted to talk about the possibility of her being pregnant. He cleared his throat before responding. "Uh... do you want to start, or should I?"

She shook her head. "Never mind, forget it. Let's just enjoy the silence."

He frowned and leaned back on the sofa. A few minutes passed in which he would occasionally glance at her, and he decided to pick up the conversation where it left off. Despite her desire for silence, he had something he needed to get off his chest, and she needed to hear what he had to say.

"Jenn... if you are pregnant--"

"Wally," she cut off quickly. "Let's not have this conversation... Please."

She sighed and reluctantly agreed to his request. "Fine."

He took a moment to recollect himself before speaking. "I want you to know that if you are pregnant, I won't abandon you. I will do everything in my power to support you and the baby. I--"

She cut him off when she pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tight. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

As they embraced each other, Wally caught a glimpse of the time due to the clock on the wall. Five minutes had already passed since Jenn took the test. "Jenn, I think it's time you go look at that test."

She pulled away and glanced at the clock. Realizing the results they were waiting for was here, she stood up and went to the bathroom. She told Wally before she took the test that he was to remain in the living room, for this was a part she wanted to handle on her own. She was already grateful to him for going with her to buy the test, and she felt that he had done enough.

As she neared the bathroom Jenn thought of Jade, and how she must have felt while buying a pregnancy test on her own and dealt with the stares and murmurs of others around her when she was pregnant. She felt guilty for not being there when her friend needed her, yet glad that Wally was with her. With him by her side, regardless of what the test results would be, she knew she would be fine.

She took a deep breath before picking up the pregnancy test and looking at it. Her eyes widened. "Oh my God... Oh my God!" she dropped the test and rushed back to the living room. "Wally!"

He stood up, concern written on his features. "What--"

She jumped him, causing him to fall back on the sofa with her on top. She planted a kiss on his lips before pulling away to smile at him. "I'm not pregnant!"

His eyes widened and a smile came to his face. "You're not?"

"No!"

"Well hot damn!"

"I know!" Jenn cried happily, feeling as if she dodged a bullet. She kissed Wally in her state of bliss, and he eagerly responded, but after a few minutes of passionate kissing she pulled away with a frown on her face. "I feel weird."

"Me, too," he confessed as she removed herself from on top of him.

"Maybe... we should take a break," she suggested.

His eyes widened in terror. "From our relationship?!"

"No! Not from our relationship!" she answered immediately, making him sigh in relief. She continued. "I meant we should take a break from our sex life. Just for a little while."

"Yeah... I think that's best," he held her hand, understanding her completely. They had dodged a bullet this time, and it served as a lesson to them. They had to be more careful.

They spent the next few hours in each others company, and while they were chatting something came to mind for Jenn, leaving her feeling bewildered. If she wasn't pregnant, why had she been throwing up a lot as of late?

It would be later that she would discover the culprit behind her vomiting was her secret stash of chocolate which had expired without her knowing.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO Agent of the Divine One, Rein Lin, BerryDrops, cookiegurl15, clarkLover1, RoseXxxXThorn, Romancelover1321, Emily Snow12, Daniella TT, Little Miss Juliet, sparklebluelemon, Angry String Goddess, .Spaz-attack101, xxScriblezxx, TeenTitansFreakFan, cookiesruletheworld, iBelieveInAngels, mythica magic, anonymous, NegativeCloud, tennisgal456, Errant Wrath, AND (Shea) Quibblo FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST! I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

**LET'S HAVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE EVERYONE, FOR THIS STORY HAS PASSED THE WORD LENGTH OF THE ONE THAT CAME BEFORE IT; Sick Cycle Carousel!**

**SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS SO LATE. MY BRAIN MELTED. DAMN YOU HOT WEATHER! BUT SERIOUSLY, I HAD EVERYTHING PLANNED OUT IN MY HEAD, BUT IT JUST WASN'T COMING OUT WHEN I TRIED TO WRITE. ANYWAYS, SORRY YOU ALL HAD TO WAIT SO LONG. HOPEFULLY THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL COME OUT QUICKER. WISH ME LUCK!**

**NEXT CHAPTER: THE START OF SPRING BREAK.**

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	46. Spring break blossoms

"WOOOO! SPRING BREAK!" Terra pumped her fist as the wind rushed across her face and through her hair, a bright smile coming to her face.

"Terra, I swear I will pull this car over if you don't bring your head inside," Vic warned, his eyes narrowed as he gripped the steering wheel.

"Aw c'mon, Vic," Terra began as she pulled her head away from the window. She leaned forward in her seat and patted Vic's shoulders, grinning ear to ear. "Lighten up. It's spring break!"

"Yeah, I know. You were just yelling it out the window!"

"Well pardon me for being excited."

"Is this your first time going on a trip for spring break, Terra?" Babs asked, turning her head to look at the blonde.

She nodded. "This is my first trip ever! Unless you count the time my brother took me to the zoo, but that's different."

"What about you, Babs," Gar began. "Is this your first trip?"

"No. Me and my friends from Gotham used to go places all the time."

"You know what would be cool, if we all planned a trip for the summer."

"Totally!"

"Count me in!"

"And Vic can drive us wherever we go!"

"Hey, we mooch off of Dick, not me! I ain't made of gas money y'know."

Not far behind Vic's car was Toni's vehicile. Behind the wheel was not Toni, but rather Karen. Toni, who was rather sleepy, insisted that someone else take the wheel, so Karen volunteered.

"Are we there yet?" Toni whined from the back seat where she used Alain as her personal pillow.

"No," Raven answered dryly from the front passenger seat.

"Tell me again why we're driving all the way to Steel City," Toni said.

"Because we decided not to mooch off of Kori's dad's hotel, and instead go to one in Steel City," Karen answered.

"I wouldn't have minded mooching."

"Toni," scolded Alain.

"What? It would have saved us a lot of trouble and money!"

Karen laughed. "Since when have you worried about money?"

"Since I had to bend over backwards to cover up the fact that I brought this _fine _engagement ring."

"How'd you do that?" Raven asked, genuinely curious.

"It took a lot of bribing, lying, and running out to mail box before dear old step daddy got there or mommy dearest."

"You could have avoided all that by thinking up of a slightly less complicated plan."

"It worked, didn't it?"

"Just barely."

"... shut up," Toni snuggled closer to her boyfriend and sighed, her eyes closing. "I'm going to sleep."

Karen and Raven glanced at each other before laughing.

Following Toni's vehicle was Dick's car. Behind the wheel, of course, was Dick. To his right was Wally, and in the back sat Kori and Jenn. The two girls chatted happily, and occasionally the boys join in.

"I hear Steel City has a _great_ mall," Kori told Jenn, a fashion magazine in her hand.

"Really? We're totally going shopping then," Jenn announced. A smile came to her face. "We can pick something up for Jade while we're there."

"And something for Roy too!"

"Yeah, but we might need some help for that," Jenn tapped Wally's shoulder. "You'll help us pick something out, right, Wally?"

"Oh sure, because that's exactly how I want to spend my spring break," Wally said sarcastically.

"Dick," Kori began, her tone sweet. "You'll help, right?"

Dick gripped the steering wheel, he had to be strong. "You know I don't like malls, Kori."

The two girls looked at each other and then smirked.

"That's fine," Jenn said, arms crossed. "Don't come with us."

"Yeah, we don't need you to come," Kori added, arms crossed as well. "We were just going to go try on some mini skirts anyway."

Wally raised a brow. "Mini skirts?"

"I'm sure no boys will hit on us, so no need to worry."

Dick's eye twitched. "Boys...?"

Wally and Dick eyed each other before yelling in unison. "We'll go with you!"

Kori and Jenn high fived each other and grinned.

TT

After a couple of hours of driving, plus a stop at a gas station and a fast food restaurant, the group of twelve finally made it to Steel City. Once there, it didn't take them long to arrive at the hotel they were to be staying at. Once they parked their vehicles they gathered their luggage and went inside the hotel.

The inside of the hotel was lined with a blue carpet that had white stitches across it in the pattern of swirls. To the left was a large aquarium filled with exotic species of fish. To the right was two elevators and a souvenir shop. Hanging above was a large chandelier, and directly ahead was the front desk. That's where Dick and the others headed. The woman at the front desk greeted them with a smile.

"Hello, may I help you?"

"Uh, yeah. My name is Dick Grayson, and I made reservations for me and eleven of my friends."

The woman typed away at her computer. "Ah yes, here it is...," she fiddled around her desk and eventually pulled out four room keys. "Here you go, four room keys."

There was a pause.

Dick raised a brow. "Four... room keys?"

The woman smiled and nodded. "Yes, four room keys."

Dick leaned forward. "There must be a mistake. You see, I requested six rooms."

"Um... I don't know what to say," she said as she typed at her computer. "It says here you wanted four rooms that have three beds each."

"No, no! I wanted six rooms, with two beds in each," he had requested that specifically for privacy purposes, that way him and Kori could be alone and also not feel pressured into sleeping with each other. The same went for Toni and Alain, Gar and Terra, and Wally and Jenn. He didn't want to share a room with Kori and another person, it would ruin the romance. "Is there any way you can fix this?"

She shook her head. "I'm very sorry, but there's nothing I can do. The hotel is fully booked thanks to new guests coming in for spring break. Again, I'm really sorry."

He sighed and grabbed the keys. Turning to his friends, he sighed again and explained the situation. He was met with complaints.

"Okay, okay!" he yelled, causing them to immediately hush. "I know this bites, but let's not let a little room mix up ruin our spring break."

"Dick's right. When you think about it, there's really no problem," Karen said.

She was wrong.

Deciding who would be in each room turned out to be a problem. Dick wanted to share with Kori, but immediately Raven, Karen, Vic, and Gar frowned upon this. They thought, given the chance, Dick would do something perverted to the red head. Another problem came to surface when Wally said he wanted to share with Jenn, but then she said she didn't want to share with him. She was still getting over the fact that she wasn't pregnant, and she wanted as much space from him as possible, at least for now.

Another problem included the fact that Raven and Terra refused to share a room with each other. They weren't the only ones with feelings such as this. Karen didn't want to share with Vic, since he was her ex and she thought it would be awkward and weird. Gar didn't want a room with Raven, for he knew it would upset Terra. And then Babs requested a boy free room, for she felt it would be weird to share a room with a boy, or boys. The fact that they couldn't settle the room dispute led to the group having a huge argument, which was eventually broken up by a shriek from Kori.

"You guys, this isn't helping!" she narrowed her eyes in frustration, she hated it when her friends fought with each other. "Let's just... I don't know, draw numbers out of a hat to decide!"

The others glanced at each other.

Raven smiled a small smile. "That's actually not a bad idea."

Gathering their luggage, they took the elevator up to the fourth floor. Once there, Raven tore up pieces of paper and wrote the numbers of the rooms on them. Three pieces of paper read 404, three pieces of paper read 406, three pieces of paper read 407, and three pieces of paper read 409. She took the pieces of paper and put them into Vic's baseball cap.

"Okay, here are the rules," Raven began. "We each get one draw, no trading. Whichever number we get is the room we stick with. And _no _complaining."

The others nodded in understanding and drew numbers. Once everyone had a slip of paper in hand, Raven gave them the thumbs up to unfold it and see which room number they got.

_Please let me and Kori get the same room, please_, Dick thought as he unfolded the paper. "I got 409. Kori, what did you get?"

"407," she answered, causing Dick to frown.

"Cool. Looks like me and Kori are sharing a room," Raven held up a paper which read 407 as proof.

"I got 406," Alain said.

"Yay, so do I!" Toni cried happily, giving Alain a hug.

"Dick, you and I are together," Wally said, holding up his paper that read 409.

"I got 404," Babs said. "Who else has 404?"

"I do," answered Jenn.

"Me too," Terra announced.

"I'm with the happy couple," Karen said, pointing a finger at Toni who had Alain in a tight hug.

"I'm with the girls," Vic announced, linking his arms around Raven and Kori.

"And I'm with the guys," Gar said, eyeing his paper that read 409 with disgust. Like Dick and Wally, he too wanted a room with his girlfriend. Alain had no idea how lucky he was.

"Okay, how about we all unpack," Alain suggested.

"Sounds good to me."

"Me too."

"Whatever."

"The sooner we unpack the sooner we can hit the beach," Alain said, grinning.

Immediately everyone rushed to unpack, their moods perked up.

TT

"Do you think the others have made it to Steel City yet?" Jade asked Roy before biting into her blueberry muffin.

Roy was feeding Lian a bottle at the kitchen table and he looked up at her. "Probably. Maybe we should give them a call later. Let me get a bite of that."

She went over to him and extended her muffin. He leaned forward and took a bite.

"Mmm... That tastes great."

"Doesn't it?" she chuckled, but slowly the smile on her face turned into a frown. She looked at Roy, who was gazing lovingly at Lian, and then at her daughter. She looked away and thought about her friends and what they might be doing and what they had planned. Before she even realized it, she spoke. "Aren't you jealous?"

He looked at her oddly, confused. "Huh?"

"Our friends are enjoying spring break and we're stuck taking care of our baby. Aren't you jealous that we're having no fun at all?"

He thought for a moment before answering her. "I wouldn't say what we're doing isn't fun."

She pulled up a chair besides him. "I wouldn't say changing diapers is fun."

"True, but being with you and Lian is. I have my girls with me, I don't need a trip to the beach to enjoy myself."

She wished she shared his feelings, but she couldn't. She didn't want to spend forever cooped up at home raising a baby. She was a teenager, and as a teenager she wanted to go and enjoy herself. "... maybe I do."

He looked at her.

She looked away, feeling selfish and horrible. "It's not like I hate being a mother or being with you... but I wanna have some fun. You know, the way we used to before... before Lian."

"We can still have fun like before, but--"

"That's great!" she said happily, smiling broadly. "Let's do something fun and exciting. Like... like dancing!"

He suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Jade, you didn't let me finish..."

Her happy smile was replaced with a look of confusion.

He continued. "I would love to go out with you, but we have a lot to deal with... There's just no time."

She frowned.

"As soon as possible, I promise to take you out," Roy said quickly, hoping that would cheer her up.

She smiled at him, just barely, and unknown to him it was a forced smile. "Sure. No problem at all."

"You're not mad?"

"No! Not at all," she stood up. "Ah... I'm going to go head out for a bit."

"Where are you going?"

"Just... out. Pick up a few things," she turned and left the kitchen, passing Ollie as he made his way in.

The older male took a moment to observe the ebony haired girl as she walked away, before turning his attention towards the orange top boy in the kitchen. "And here I thought I taught you better."

"What are you talking about?" Roy inquired as Lian grabbed his finger.

"Jade. She was clearly upset just now, and you did nothing about it."

"She wasn't upset."

"An idiot with half a brain could have realized she was upset," he said as he poked his hand in the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. "You and Jade haven't done anything fun in a long time. Why don't you just drop everything and do something special for her?"

"I can't just do that. I have a daughter now."

"Roy, you know Dinah and I are always here to help when it comes to Lian."

"Yeah, but she's my daughter. My responsibility."

"You also have a responsibility to Jade," he sat down besides Roy. "No one is going to think less of you for being selfish for one day. If you won't let me help you, then let me help Lian. After all, she is my granddaughter."

There was a long pause in which Roy considered his words. A day to do something special with Jade wouldn't hurt. A night alone, just the two of them, he was sure it would make the both of them happy... After thinking it over, he realized the positives outweighed the negatives. "Okay, you got yourself a deal."

TT

The beach owned by the hotel was vast, with miles and miles of sand. Dick and the others immediately got excited and ran out onto the beach. They found a spot to lay down their things and went off in different directions to enjoy themselves. Alain, after renting a surf board, took to the ocean. Toni, Gar, Karen, Kori, and Dick followed, but not to surf. They preferred to swim. Vic, after renting a grill and cooler, began to cook on the beach. Babs, Wally, and Jenn began a game of frisbee.

The only ones not joining in on the excitement was Raven and Terra. The two girls sat on their towels, with Kori's purple towel in the middle to create some distance, with the beach umbrellas giving them shade. Raven was absorbed in reading a thick novel, and Terra was absorbed in listening to her yellow iPod. The silence between them wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't hostile either. They were aware of each other's presence, which was a problem, but as long as they maintained a distance things were somewhat good.

Despite this, Raven desired to have her space with no other being involved. She put her book on her lap and turned her head towards the blonde. "Why aren't you out there?"

Terra pulled off her headphones and looked at her. "Excuse me?"

"Why aren't you out there having fun?"

She scratched her head. "I can't grill, I'm to tired to play frisbee, and... I don't know how to swim."

A laugh escaped the purple haired girl. "Okay, what's the real reason?"

Terra's blue eyes narrowed. "I was being serious. I can't swim."

Raven's laughter ceased and she raised a brow. "Really?"

"Really."

"Oh....," she cleared her throat. "Sorry for laughing."

The blonde girl rolled her eyes. "No you're not."

She laughed a little. "Yeah, I'm not."

Terra chuckled before turning her attention back to the girl next to her. "So what's your reason for sitting here and not being out there?"

"I hate cooking when it's not necessary, I hate frisbee, and I don't feel like getting wet."

"It sounds like you're just being lazy," Terra said before laughing.

Raven joined her. "It does," she paused, her eyes widening slightly, and she looked at Terra in alarm. "Are we... actually having a conversation without tearing each other limb from limb?"

"Uh... I think we are," she looked away. "Weird."

The goth girl looked away. "Yeah... but I have to admit, it's not terrible."

"Yeah," she nodded in agreement. There was a long pause of silence before she spoke again. "Why is it we fight all the time?"

"It's a territory thing," she answered dryly, laying flat on her back.

"No, c'mon, I'm being serious. I wanna know why we've never gotten along."

Raven sighed before sitting up straight. She locked eyes with Terra. "Kori and the others are like family to me, they _are _my family. I don't want anything bad to happen to them," she paused. Talking about her feelings was hard. "It's hard for me to trust people, so when you came in I became cautious. Especially when you started dating Gar. He acts like everything is a joke, but he's very sensitive. He's done so much for me and I don't want him to get hurt."

"I would _never _hurt Gar. I care about him to much, and I care about the others too. Everyone has been so nice to me, and you guys are the first real friends I've ever had. I would never do anything to jeopardize that."

There was a long pause before Raven responded. "I... believe you when you say that."

"Does... that mean we can call a truce?" Terra asked hopefully.

A small smile graced Raven's face. "Sure. Only if you promise not to tell anyone what I said."

Terra smiled. "Sure thing."

The two girls bumped fist before laughing. Unknown to them, the others were watching.

"I think there's a snowball in hell," Karen joked as she observed the girls.

"Are they actually getting along?" Gar inquired, rubbing his eyes. He believed he was seeing things.

"That's what it looks like," Karen replied, turning. "Hey, Toni, are you seeing this?... Toni?"

Toni's hands were clenched and she was scowling as she eyed a group of girls watching Alain surf.

Karen turned back to her green haired friend. "Someone is jealous."

"She's not the only one," Gar commented, pointing at Dick.

Like Toni, Dick had a scowl glued to his face and his hands were balled into fist. His eyes were on a group of boys who were watching Kori swim. Karen and Gar saw Dick move forward, and for a moment they thought for sure Dick was going to pummel any male who had their eyes on Kori, but to their surprise he advanced upon Kori who was now venturing out of the water.

Kori paused when Dick stood before her. "Is something wrong, D--"

Her sentence was cut short when he pulled her to him and planted his lips upon hers. He placed his free hand behind her head as she wrapped her arms around is neck. The group of boys who had been watching Kori grumbled, and it wasn't long until they dispersed and walked away.

Dick, who had one eye open, saw them leave. Once they were all gone he pulled away from a blushing Kori. "Vic made hot dogs. Want one?"

"Uh... s-sure."

He took her hand and pulled her along, a grin on his face.

TT

Jade had been wandering around aimlessly for what felt like hours, when really not that much time had passed. Eventually she found herself in the park, sitting alone on one of the benches, feeling empty inside and exhausted. She had attempted to eat a strawberry ice cream cone she got from a vendor, but she couldn't bring herself to take one lick. Her appetite had been crummy as of late, and she threw her frozen dessert in the trash as it began to melt onto her fingers.

Her eyes caught sight of mothers with strollers and with toddlers. She saw the happy faces of the mothers who passed her by, and the children who would grab their mothers hands. Jade looked away with a mixed feeling of frustration, envy, and guilt. She really should have stayed home to help Roy deal with Lian, but she couldn't. She didn't have the energy to deal with Lian.

_As if it matters_, she thought sadly. Roy had enough energy for the both of them, and he was a master at handling Lian. He had everything under control. He didn't need her help.

She lowered her head into the palms of her hands, feeling hopeless.

Just as she felt herself on the verge of tears, a black skateboard with orange flames painted on it rolled over to her, bumping into her black boots. She looked at it with a curious expression and picked it up. She looked to her left, then to her right, and then at the skateboard in her hands.

"Excuse me!"

She looked up to see a boy who appeared to be her age running towards her. She stood up and took a good look at him. His blonde hair reached his shoulders and was combed straight, and he had dark brown eyes. Before she even realized it, he was standing in front of her.

He took a moment to regain his breath and then smiled softly, his finger pointing at the board in her hands. "That's mine."

"Oh," she held it out to him. "Here."

He took it and tucked it under his arm. "Thanks. The thing got away from me when I fell," he cocked his head to the side. "You look familiar... Do you go to Jump City Private Academy?"

"Uh... no. I go to Jump City High School."

"Oh," he nodded, shaking off the feeling he had seen her somewhere before in the process. He extended his hand to her. "My name is Don."

She shook his hand.

Don looked at her expectantly. "Do you want to tell me your name or do you want to continue shaking my hand?"

She blushed and pulled her hand away quickly. "S-sorry."

He laughed. "It's cool. So how about that name?"

"My name...," she bit her lip. If she was to tell him her name would he recognize her as Jade Nguyen, the girl Roy Harper knocked up? He would probably look at her as some get-rich-quick tramp, or as an unwed teenager mother who dropped out of high school. Either way any title associated with her name was a horrible one. She wished she wasn't Jade Nguyen. She wished she was somebody else, a normal girl with a normal life.

"Look, it's cool if you d--"

"My name is Alice."

He raised a brow. "Alice?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes. My name is Alice."

He smiled. "Okay. Well, thanks for saving my board, Alice."

He turned and began to walk away.

"W-wait!" she cried out desperately, running up to him. He stopped and turned around, causing her to bump into his chest. She stepped back immediately. "Sorry, but I..."

He smiled at her. "Wanna get a bite to eat?"

She beamed at him and nodded her head. "Sure!"

TT

After leaving the beach and cleaning themselves up, Dick and the others got ready for dinner. They agreed to go and eat at the hotel's restaurant. The hotel's restaurant was vast, and the mahogany floor was littered with round tables covered with white tablecloths. On each table was a center piece made up of dahlias. On the ceiling was a chandelier, just like the one in the lobby, and in the center was a lobster tank.

Upon entering the restaurant, Dick and the others were led to their table. Once at their table, Alain pulled out Toni's chair for her, something Dick, Wally, and Gar didn't fail to miss. They mimicked their friend and pulled out chairs for their girlfriends. Once everyone was seated they picked up their menus and scanned over their options.

Alain's face grimaced in disgust. "Just about everything on this menu has fish in it," he said. Alain, one who was very fond of the ocean and the creatures that dwelled in it, refused to eat anything that came from the ocean.

Gar, who is a strict vegan, refused to eat anything that was once a living creature, whether it be from land or sea, and put his menu down. "I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea."

"It's not all bad," Karen said, showing them the menu and pointing at different dishes. "Look, not everything used to be alive. There's salad, and other vegetable dishes. Oh, and rice! And just wait until we get to dessert."

Upon hearing dessert, Gar was hooked. "She swayed my vote."

Vic rubbed his hands together and licked his lips. "I wanna pick a big fat lobster."

"Vic!"

"Let it go, Alain. If I don't eat it, someone else will."

Alain crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat.

It didn't take long for everyone to pick something from the menu, and as soon as the waiter came they gave their order. As they waited for their food, they began a conversation full of jokes and jabs at each other. The group of twelve was deep into their conversation before it got interrupted.

A group of five teenager girls was the source of the interruption, and they crowded around Alain's seat. Toni recognized them as the group from before.

The table fell silent and Raven narrowed her eyes. "Can we help you?" she asked rudely.

"Oh, yes, please!" said the girl with shoulder length black hair. "We just wanted to talk to your friend here." She placed her hands on Alain's shoulders, earning a glare from Toni in the process. She smiled sweetly at Alain. "We saw you surfing today. You were really cool."

Alain turned in his seat and smiled back. "You really think so?"

"Yeah!" the girl with extremely short red hair answered immediately, bumping her friend out of the way. "You were totally awesome!"

"Thanks. That's really nice of you to say."

The red hair girl was pushed out of the way by the two girls with long brunette hair. The brunette girls were twins. "So who taught you how to surf?" they asked in unison.

"My whole family knows how, so I learned from just about everyone. Though most of the credit goes to my father."

The girl with mid length blonde hair squeezed in between the twins. "So you're really good at surfing, right?"

"I guess I'm pretty good."

"Would you mind teaching us how to surf?"

"We could use a good teacher."

"Especially one as handsome as you."

"We would really _appreciate _it."

"Please teach us."

Toni slammed her hands on the table and stood up abruptly, shocking Alain and the group of girls. She glared fiercely at the group of girls. "Sorry, but he can't. You can leave now."

The red head glared back. "Why not? And who are you to him anyways?"

At this Toni smirked dangerously. She stood behind Alain and wrapped her arms around his neck. She then placed a lingering kiss on his cheek. Resting her chin on top of his head, she smiled. "I'm his fiancee."

The group of girls gasped, while Jenn, Kori, Vic, Dick, and Gar snickered. Babs, Terra, Karen, Raven, and Wally continued to watch the show before them. Alain just looked confused, but he didn't dare interrupt Toni, not when her arms were around his neck like a python.

The blonde scoffed. "That's bull. You two are both teenagers. There's no way you two are engaged."

Toni flashed off her ring. "The ring doesn't lie. But if you like we could take this outside. It's been a long time since I wiped the floor with someones face."

Their was a pause, but eventually the girls walked away. Once they were gone, Toni sat down in her seat besides Alain as if nothing had happened.

Alain looked at her oddly. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"_That?! _You looked like you were about to kill someone!"

"Those girls were flirting with you!" Toni snapped angrily. "I had to put them in check!"

Alain blinked in surprise. "They were flirting with me?"

At this the others groaned, slapped their foreheads, or hit their heads against the table.

"I can't believe he's the guy I go to for advice," Dick muttered.

TT

It was getting late, and Jade eventually realized she had to tear herself away from Don. Before leaving him to catch a taxi, she exchanged cell phone numbers with him. She also made a quick stop at the beauty supply store to pick up some hair products she knew Roy liked. This would serve as her excuse to him for staying out so long.

As she got closer and closer to home, the excited happiness she had felt with Don began to wear off. She wasn't Alice anymore, the girl with nothing to worry about and a normal life. She was Jade again, the girl who had a baby waiting at home. Jade felt the energy she had just moments before disappear, and she was filled with emptiness again, her shoulders felt heavy again, and sadness kept pulling at her ankles. She felt as if she was drowning.

Eventually she became face to face where the root of her troubles resided. Home.

She stood outside the front door, staring at the doorknob, wondering whether or not to go in. She had so much fun today being with Don, she had so much fun being Alice. Stepping into this house would mean losing that feeling.

She briefly considered running, running away from this house and the people inside, but she quickly decided against it. She couldn't run. She had no where to go.

Sighing, she decided to hurry up and get things over with. Pulling out her key, she unlocked the door and stepped inside. "Roy," she called out. "I'm sorry I'm late. I was--"

The rest of her sentence died on her tongue as she took in the sight before her.

The lights were off, and the room was lit by numerous white colored candles, carefully placed as to not fall. On the floor was a trail of red rose pedals, which Jade followed into the dining room. Upon arriving there she saw the table had been set. A beautiful single red rose was placed in a narrow vase in the middle of the table, and on either side of it was two long candles, already lit. At the end of the dining table was Roy, dressed in a black tux and red tie. He stood up upon seeing Jade and walked towards her.

As he approached, Jade locked eyes with him. "Roy... what is all this?"

"This," he reached her and put his arms around her waist, bringing her closer. "Is our romantic night."

"But... but what about Lian?"

"She's not here. She's with Ollie and Dinah."

She opened her mouth to speak. "Roy--"

He put a finger to her lips. "Hold that thought. I have something I want to give you, _two _things actually. Just take a seat right here."

She did as she was told and sat down, her eyes watching him as he went to his side of the table and retrieved a pink bag with pink tissue paper sticking out of it from under the table. He returned to her side, a large smile on his face, as he reached inside the bag. He pulled out a small black box and held it out to her. "Open it."

She hesitated at first, but eventually took the small box from his hand. She opened it to reveal a pair of gold earrings with a green stone embedded in each. She gasped and looked up at him. "Roy, it's beautiful!"

His smile nearly doubled in size. "I'm glad you like it. Take a guess what kind of stone that is."

"Uh... emerald?"

"It's jade, actually. I believe it fits you in more ways than one."

She closed the box and set it on the table. "Roy, I--"

"Not yet," he cut her off quickly and handed her the bag. "You still have one more gift."

She took the bag from him and peered inside. Her eyes widened as she removed the contents that lay within. She pulled out a sexy black corset with pink ribbon and sexy matching black panties. Her cheeks turned red instantly.

Roy took her hands in his own, causing her to look at him. "Jade, I want this night to be about us. I want to have dinner with you, I want to dance with you, and I just want to be with you. I love you."

Silence.

Roy shifted uncomfortably. "Isn't there something you want to say?"

"I don't know what to say," she admitted softly.

That wasn't exactly the response he was hoping for. Nor was he liking her reaction. He was hoping to see a smile grace Jade's face, but all she did was sit there with a blank expression.

Hoping for a positive reaction, one that actually expressed emotion, he leaned forward in hopes of capturing her lips in a kiss.

"No!" she pushed Roy back, _hard_, sending him colliding to the floor. Once she saw what she did she gasped in shock. "Oh my God, Roy... I-I'm sorry."

He slowly picked himself up from the floor, trying to figure out what he did wrong. "It's okay. It's my fault."

"No, no, it's not your fault. It's mine. Everything I do is wrong. _I'm _wrong!"

Hearing her words, he immediately sprung up to comfort her. "Jade, don't say that. You're wonderful. I love you."

"Stop! Stop! Just stop!" she pulled away from him, her hands covering her face.

"Jade, what's wrong? I-I thought this would make you happy. I'm sorry!"

"Just... just _please_ leave me alone for the rest of the night," she responded, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I just want to be alone."

There was a pause in which he regarded her request. Did he want to leave her alone? No, not after she just had this break down right in front of him... But it's what she wanted, and perhaps some space would do her some good. Reluctantly, he gave in. "Okay."

She didn't even look back at him as she fled the dining room and ran all way upstairs to her room, making sure to lock the door behind her.

Roy watched her flee, and unable to comprehend what happened, took a seat in a daze. He eyed the candles on the table, and with a huff he blew them out.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO Errant Wrath, Star of Airdrie, .Spaz-attack101, Agent of the Divine One, BerryDrops, Romancelover1321, XxGraysonGirlxX, sparklebluelemon, NegativeCloud, clarkLover1, DaniellaTT, Quibblo, RoseXxxXThorn, cookiesruletheworld, StarReader86, mythica magic, Emily Snow12, Little Miss Juliet, AND tennisgal456 FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! I ADORE YOU ALL! I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

**ONLY 14 MORE CHAPTERS TO GO! PERHAPS, MAYBE, ONE OF THOSE CHAPTERS WILL BE SHORT... YEAH, WE'LL SEE.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: TERRA IS UP TO NO GOOD, AND JADE TAKES OUT HER ANGER ON ROY.**

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	47. The kill

Jade sat in bed, eyeing the pink bag that lay in front of her. Sometime during the night Roy had come to her door, pleading with her to come out and speak with him. He had said many sweet things, things that made her cry harder, and he had placed the bag at her door before giving up and walking away. During his speech she had taken timid steps towards the door, her hand resting on the knob, but she couldn't bring herself to open the door to him, to let him in. She waited until she was sure he left before opening the door and snatching the bag. Once that was accomplished she closed the door and locked it.

Bringing her knees to her chest, Jade rested her chin in her knees. What Roy had done for her the other night was so wonderful of him, and so romantic. It had taken her by surprise, and it made her feel special and overwhelmed at the same time. She didn't deserve Roy's kindness or any star treatment. She was a horrible person who couldn't even stand to be around her own daughter. If Roy knew the truth she doubted he would feel the same about her.

She leaned her head back and sighed, wondering when things became so complicated. She had thought everything would be perfect for her and Roy after Lian was born, they were supposed to be the perfect family. Why weren't they? Why was it that she felt like she was crumpling? Things weren't supposed to be this way.

She buried her face in her knees. She had to fix this. She had to. The only question was how. She supposed she she should start with talking to Roy, but she didn't have the slightest clue as how to talk to him. There was no doubt in her mind that he would want to talk about yesterday, but how could she possibly explain herself?

A groan of frustration escaped her. She hated her life, but even so, there was no avoiding the hand that was dealt to her. She had to speak with Roy. The sooner, the better.

Standing up with a swell of courage, albeit only a small amount, she headed over to her door and walked out. She figured he would be in the kitchen, so she decided to head there, fighting with herself every step of the way. A _big _part of her wanted her to turn around and avoid the upcoming situation at all cost, but her former confident self wouldn't permit it. Before she knew it, she was in the kitchen.

And so was Roy.

He was sitting at the table. A plate of untouched bacon, toast, and eggs was placed before him, along with a full cup of orange juice. The seat reflecting him had the same spread in front of it. Jade noticed the extra place of food and gulped. Had he been waiting for her?

"I made us breakfast," Roy told her absently, his cheek resting in the palm of his hand. Jade noticed the bags under his eyes, and was positive he, like her, didn't get any sleep last night. This made her feel worse, and the coward in her was making a comeback. He continued. "I was going to go upstairs and get you, but I couldn't bring myself to."

She looked down. Did that mean he was giving up on her? Was he done with her? Fear started to consume her.

"... I figured if I try and coax you out, you would only shy away from me. So I decided to wait until you came down on your own terms," he looked at her, a goofy smile on his face. "I'm starting to wish I would've kicked down your door and carried you out. If I done that we would have a hot meal in front of us, instead of this cold crap."

She felt tears coming to her eyes but blinked them away quickly.

Roy looked away. "If you don't want to be around me, I could leave," he paused, contemplating. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to."

_But want to stay. I want to be near you, Roy_, she thought sadly. She wanted to tell him what she thought, but couldn't bring herself to voice the words. Instead, she chose to silently take the seat he had set up for her and sit down. She kept her eyes down, afraid to look him in the eye.

Neither one of them bothered to touch their food, and the room was filled with an uncomfortable silence.

Abruptly, Roy slammed his fist against the table, causing Jade to jump in surprise.

"Dammit, Jade, would you please cut it out with the freakin' silent treatment! I've had enough of it!" he had wanted to remain placid and not raise his voice, but he couldn't take it anymore. This, whatever _this _was, was eating him alive. He knew something was wrong with Jade, and he wanted to help her. At first he had planned to wait and let her come to him, but sitting around and doing nothing made him feel useless and like a fool. It was time to take the bull by the horns and hope for the best. "Just talk to me, _please!"_

There was a long pause in which she turned her head away. When she finally decided to speak, her tone was soft. "... You wouldn't understand."

He couldn't stop himself from yelling. "I don't understand because you won't tell me anything! Would you just tell me what's wrong!"

"I can't!" she yelled back, finally locking eyes with him. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she could feel herself becoming angry.

"Why not?!"

"Because I don't know what's wrong!"

He looked at her in shock, his eyes taking her in. She was trembling and breathing heavily. Tears continued to stream down her face with no intention of stopping. Roy took a step towards her, ready to embrace her and wipe away all her tears, but she took a step back and glared at him.

"Don't," she told him firmly, wiping her tears. "Just _don't. _Don't _touch _me!"

"I don't understand why you're pushing me away. Jade, I'm trying to help you!"

"No you're not! You're making things worse!"

"How?! How am I making things worse?!"

"You're pressuring me! You want this perfect existence and I can't give you that! I'm not perfect!"

"I never asked you to be! I just want us to be family! You, me, and Lian!"

"Would you _shut up _about Lian!"

Her words were a shock to both of them and they were frozen in silence. Roy couldn't believe the words she just said, and Jade couldn't believe she _voiced _the words she just said.

"Jade...," Roy began slowly, approaching her cautiously and choosing his words carefully. "Are you stressed because of... because of Lian?"

She turned her back to him and crossed her arms. "Of course I'm not stressed because of Lian. How could you even say that? For God's sake, Roy, she's my daughter! I love her..."

The words didn't sound all that convincing, but Roy desperately wanted to believe that they were true. He had to believe they were true, or else... "I'm sorry that I questioned you. It's just that... I'm concerned about you. You haven't been acting like yourself lately. If something is bothering you I'm here to help. You can depend of me."

She slowly turned around, and instead of finding a grateful expression on her face, Roy was met with Jade's scowl.

"Would you cut that out," she exasperated.

"Cut what out?"

"_That! _Your stupid pity for me! I don't need it, and I don't want it!"

"I'm not pitying you!" he kicked a chair over in anger and glared at her. "Dammit, Jade, why do you keep fighting me?! I'm not your enemy!"

"You could have fooled me!"

Both of them stood glaring at each other, chest heaving, unwilling to back down. It was at that moment they heard a door closing, and the voices of Ollie and Dinah.

"Roy? Jade? We're back!"

"Where are you two? You better not still be in bed, you--Ow!"

"Don't say stuff like that in front of Lian. Roy and Jade would have a fit."

Roy rubbed his temples before calling out to Ollie and Dinah. He told him that him and Jade were in the kitchen. Almost immediately Ollie and Dinah, who was holding Lian, entered the kitchen.

"Hey you two," Dinah greeted happily, a bright smile on her face. Her smile slowly melted as she took in the appearance of the two teenagers, as well as the kicked over chair. "What happened here? Is everything all right?"

"Everything is fine," Roy answered briskly, uprighting the chair. "How's Lian?"

"She was no trouble at all," Ollie answered as he fondly watched Dinah pass Lian over to Roy. "She loved the hotel."

"Yeah?" Roy asked absently, pressing a kiss to Lian's head.

"Yup," Ollie answered, eyeing the two teenagers in the room. "How are you two doing?"

Roy locked eyes with Jade, and he caught the slight flicker of fear in her eyes, before her eyes narrowed slightly. It was obvious to him that she wanted to keep shut about what transpired. He briefly considered telling Ollie and Dinah the truth, but decided against it. He knew if he was to say something that it would tick Jade off, and that was the last thing he wanted. Especially since Lian was here.

"We're fine," he replied indifferently, turning his back to Jade, missing the look of relief that briefly crossed Jade's face.

"Well it looks like we interrupted you two during breakfast," Ollie took a bite of bacon and quickly put it down. "_Cold _breakfast... How about I whip up some pancakes? Sounds good?"

Dinah agreed quickly, and Roy's indifferent "sure" followed after.

Jade plastered a fake smile to her face. "Uh, you guys go ahead. I'm not hungry."

"Jade, you never turn down Ollie's pancakes," Dinah said. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just tired. I'm gonna go to bed," Jade left the kitchen quickly after that, Roy watching her as she did so. Once she was gone he kissed Lian's head and held her closer.

TT

_"You are dead meat, Terra!"_

Terra cringed as Kitten shouted and held her phone at arms length. She waited until Kitten was done cursing, making threats, and calling her names before bringing the phone back to her ear. "Are you done yet?"

_"I am serious, Terra," _Kitten growled. _"I want some info on Kori and her friends, and I want it NOW!"_

Terra cringed again and leaned against the balcony railing. Each room came with a balcony, something she was grateful for, since it provided her privacy for a situation such like this. "Hey, don't worry. I'm on it."

Kitten scoffed. _"Really? Because you could've fooled me. You haven't given me anything useful."_

Terra's mind wandered over to the information she had on Dick and Toni, as well as the picture of Kori kissing Xavier. It was exactly the type of thing Kitten wanted, yet she had yet to give it to her. She was holding out for something less damaging. She knew she had to betray them, but she didn't want to destroy them. If only if she could turn back the hands of time and erase her deal with the devil...

_"Terra! Are you listening?!"_

"Back off of me!" Terra snapped, eyes narrowed. "I know what I have to do!"

_"Then why aren't you doing it?"_

"Well, uh...," Terra searched her mind for a reasonable excuse. The last thing she wanted was for Kitten to discover the fact that she was having second thoughts. "I'm on vacation."

_"That's not a good excuse! You should be taking this chance to gather any dirt you can find. I don't care if you have to get them drunk to do it," _there was a pause, and Terra felt a chill run down her spine. She had a eerie feeling that Kitten had a wicked smile on her face. _"That's it! Get them drunk and out of control and tape it. You can use the camera I brought you."_

Terra's eyes widened. "But I--"

_"Get the job done, Terra," _Kitten demanded. _"Or else it will be your life that I destroy."_

With that being said Kitten hung up the phone. Terra eyed her phone in disbelief, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. "Bitch..."

She left the balcony and entered her room, which was empty. Jenn and Babs had left somewhere, Terra hadn't been paying attention when they told her. She was to busy sitting on pins and needles waiting for Kitten's call. Upon entering the room, Terra immediately went over to her suitcase, which she was pulled put from under her bed, and took out her camera recorder. It was a gift from Kitten who gave it to her not that long ago in hopes that Terra would catch something useful on tape.

Terra shifted the device in her hands, her brow raised. "How do I even use this damn thing?" she pushed a random button, hoping that it was the on button, and held the device up to her eye, sighing. "I have no clue what I'm doing..."

She heard the jingle of the knob and saw it turning. Immediately she hide the camera under her pillows.

"Hey, Terra," Babs greeted as she opened the door. A couple of us are heading into town to look around. Wanna come?"

Terra, forgetting all about her duty to Kitten and her camera, stood up immediately, a look of joy on her face. "Sure!"

She ran out the room and followed Babs to the elevator. Soon after the girls departure, Wally and Jenn entered the room.

"C'mon, Jenn, you're killing me here," Wally whined, kicking the door shut behind him.

"You're not the only one bothered by the no sex thing, Wally," Jenn replied, sitting on her bed, which was in the middle of Terra and Babs beds. "I need to get rid of some pent up passion too."

"So then let's do it!"

"We _can't_! I am not ready to become a teenager mother."

"We'll use protection."

She rolled her eyes. "Wally, please don't tell me you brought condoms on this trip."

"I didn't."

She glared at him, half pleased and half furious.

Wally grinned at her expression and continued. "But Vic did."

Jenn's eyes widened in shock. "Vic? What for?" she gasped. "Don't tell me he's planning to cheat on Allison."

"What? No!" Wally crossed over to her and sat on Babs bed. "He brought them for Gar."

She raised a brow. "Gar?"

"Yeah. He thought that Gar and Terra would have had a room to themselves so he wanted Gar to be prepared, just in case some fireworks happened."

"Wait," Jenn paused to clear her head before continuing. "You're telling me that Gar has condoms?"

He nodded. "And Gar left with some of the others to go sight seeing. So if we wanted..."

"We could help ourselves to his stash while he's gone," Jenn finished. She eyed Wally, feeling a sense of passion brewing within her. The whole 'almost pregnant' fiasco had been a big slap in the face, one that taught her a lot. As long as her and Wally played it safe, and didn't go at it like rabbits, they would be okay... wouldn't they? She made up her mind. "One time and that's it."

"That's fine with me."

"We do this, get our release, and play it cool for the rest of spring break."

"Okay."

"Good. So go get the condoms."

"I already got them," Wally replied as he took a condom from his back pocket. He smiled sheepishly as Jenn's scowl. "I woke up this morning with a promise to myself that I'd wear you down."

She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. "I'm going to yell at you later."

She then leaned in to initiated a fiery kiss. Wally responded eagerly, and the two fell backwards onto Jenn's bed. Both were unaware of the camera that resided under Terra's pillows. The camera was perfectly hidden, though the lens stuck out slightly and was lacking a lens cap. It pointed in Wally and Jenn's direction. Said camera was on and rolling.

TT

Jade couldn't sleep. Try as she might, she only succeeded in tossing and turning. She found herself staring at the ceiling, her hands rotating her phone absently. She wanted to talk to Jenn. Jenn always knew what to say to make her feel better. Perhaps she could set her straight and help her out of this hole she was in.

Jade sat up, ready to call Jenn, but hesitated. Jenn was off enjoying herself, it wouldn't be fair to burden her. She sighed and looked at her phone. It was then that her eyes widened in surprise. She had received a text message. Checking it, Jade was surprised to see it was from Don.

**Donnyboy: sup Alice. wat u up 2?**

With a smile coming to her face, Jade texted him back.

**Cheshire: nothin, at home. how r u?**

**Donnyboy: fine. my friend is havin a party 2night. wanna come?**

Jade paused and looked at the screen. There was a moment of hesitation before she replied back.

**Cheshire: yes! when n where?**

TT

Roy had been making his way up the stairs when his eyes locked with Jade. He froze, as did she, and he took this chance to look at her fully. Her hair was down, she was wearing make-up, and she had on one of her best outfits. He cocked a brow. "Going somewhere?"

She took a deep breath before answering him calmly. "Yes, I am actually."

"Where?"

"Out."

There was a pause in which they looked at each other, challenging each other. Jade remained placid, but the question Roy asked her next almost made her lose her cool.

"Where did you go yesterday?"

Jade shifted. "Just to a few stores..."

"And that took you all day?"

"No," Jade answered, eyes lowered.

"So then what were you doing?"

"I... was looking for a job," she lied with a straight face.

Her answer took Roy by surprise. "Why?"

"Well... you work, so I figured I should do the same," she attempted to pass him, but he stood in her way. She glared daggers at him. "What?"

"I thought you wanted to be a stay at home mom. If you wanna work that's fine, but you should have discussed it with me first. If you don't take care of Lian then who will?"

She shrugged indifferently. "Ollie has tons of money. Tell him to hire a nanny."

Her answer made Roy turn stiff, so she took this opportunity to brush past him and walk out the door. The sound of the door closing was enough to jolt Roy out of his reverie, and he slowly made his way up the stairs with a blank look on his face. He was in such a daze that he accidentally bumped into Ollie.

"Hey, Roy, I'm walking here."

"S-sorry," Roy apologized absently, running a hand through his hair and walking past the older man.

Ollie looked at him oddly and raised a brow. "Roy, is everything alright?"

Roy paused and ran his hand through his hair again. "... I'm not sure."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

He turned to him and nodded. "Actually... I could use a favor," he stepped closer to the blonde. "Would you and Dinah mind taking Lian out tonight?"

"Again?"

"Please, Ollie, it's really important that you do this for me."

Ollie could tell Roy was being serious, and the look in his eyes was pleading with him to grant his request. He briefly wondered if he should be concerned and ask questions, but decided not to. Roy was a smart kid, and he earned his trust. "Sure. I'll go tell Dinah now."

"Thanks," Roy said, turning away. Tonight, he was going to settle things with Jade, once and for all.

TT

After spending the day with Babs, Raven, Gar, and Vic, Terra returned to her room. She wasn't surprised to find it empty, for she figured Jenn was with Wally, and Babs had left her side in search of Kori. She put down her bag, filled with goodies from a candy store she and the others had found while touring Steel City, on her bed and laid down. Her head laid on the pillows, and she felt that it was bumpy. Immediately her eyes widened and she remembered her camera. She pulled it out from under the pillow and examined it, sighing. What was she supposed to do with this thing? She didn't know how to use it.

Unknowingly, she pressed down on a button, and something began to play across the screen. This caught Terra's attention and she looked at the screen. She must have left the damned thing on. Leaning back, she saw herself leaving the room after Babs. Nothing interesting there. Just when she was about to put the camera away, she saw Jenn and Wally appear on the screen.

"The hell...," Terra's eyes continued to watch the screen, and her eyes widened in shock. "Oh my..."

She quickly examined the camera, and after finding what she thought to be the off button, turned it off. She then proceeded to hide the device in her suitcase. While she did this, she felt as if her head was spinning.

It was at this moment Raven entered the room.

"Hey, Terra, everyone is going down to the beach. Come on."

"Uh... okay," Terra stood up and stumbled to the door to follow Raven, who was already walking towards the elevator. She arrived by the goth's side just as the elevator doors opened. Together, they stepped inside.

Raven eyed the girl next to her and raised a brow. "Are you alright? You look kind of sick."

Terra jumped, but forced herself to calm down. "I-I'm fine."

Raven kept her eyes on her a moment longer, but eventually turned away.

Terra sighed, and in her mind she cursed both the camera and Kitten.

TT

As Jade stepped into a crowded house full of rowdy teenagers, she couldn't help but feel ecstatic, and a broad smile came to her face. It had been so long since she had attended a party such as this, _so long_. Being here, surrounded by teenagers and pounding music, she felt alive. She felt as if she was a regular teenager again. She felt good.

"Alice!"

She turned her head to the side and caught sight of Don pushing his way through the crowd. She smiled at him.

"Hey!" he greeted her happily, smiling ear to ear. "I'm so glad you could make it."

"Me too. Thanks for inviting me."

"It was my pleasure," he took her hand. "C'mon. I wanna introduce you to some of my friends."

Jade agreed and followed him through the crowd, unaware that a girl not far from where she had been standing was glaring holes into her back. The girl followed her slowly, and stopped once she caught sight of Jade and Don. Her eyes immediately narrowed, and she, upon catching sight of one of her friends, pulled her friend to her.

"Liza," said the girl, who had clear blue eyes and long black hair. "Who is that girl with Don?"

"What girl?" Liza, a girl with short dark brown hair and eyes questioned. She followed her friend's line of sight and her gaze fell upon Jade, who Don had an arm around. "I heard her name is Alice. Apparently Don invited her here, or something, I'm not sure. Why? I something wrong, Calie?"

The girl know as Calie ignored her friend's question. "That girl he's with... Why does she look so familiar?"

"Are you sure you're not imagining things because... well, you're jealous that someone is dating Don?"

Calie glared at her friend and crossed her arms.

"I'm right, aren't I? Calie, just forget about Don and that girl, okay. You broke up with him for Pete's sake!"

"I did," Calie grinned. "But by the time this is over I'll have Don back, and that girl with him will be history."

TT

A few hours had passed since Jade's arrival at the party, and she was enjoying herself immensely. Nobody looked at her weird, and they treated her as one of the crowd. She was just a regular teenager at a party. It felt good. _Real _good.

Currently she was slow dancing with Don, and she leaned her head against his shoulder, sighing in content. "This is really nice. I haven't had this much fun in ages."

"Why not?" he asked softly.

"Uh... well...," Jade bit her lip, thinking of an excuse. "I-I have a strict mother. She usually doesn't let me do things like this."

"Bummer."

"Yeah," she pulled back slightly so she could look at him. "Thank you again for inviting me. I really appreciate it."

"Like I said before, it's no problem. I wanted you to come," he paused, his cheeks coloring into a shade of red. "I... really like you, Jade."

She gasped. She hadn't been expecting this. "Don, I--"

Before she could answer, she was forcibly riped away from Don's side, a girl with ebony hair then stepped between them. Off to the side a girl with short brown hair unplugged the stereo, cutting off the music and upsetting the guest who chorused their anger and demanded that the music be put back on.

"You really thought you could fool everyone, didn't you?" the girl who separated Jade from Don said.

"Calie, what the hell?" Don snapped angrily, stepping between her and Jade. Jade stepped closer to Don and clutched his arm, feeling nervous and confused. "Leave Alice alone! She's done nothing to you!"

"Don, you have no idea do you?" Calie glared daggers at Jade and pointed a finger at her. "She's been lying to you! She's been lying to all of us!"

Jade's eyes widened and she stepped back. _Not now. Please not now. Not when everything was running so smoothly_, she thought.

"That girl you're with," Calie continued, and Jade literally felt as if her world was tearing apart. "Is not who you think she is."

"What are you talking about?" Don exasperated. "Alice is--"

"Her name is Jade Nguyen."

Don looked at Jade, who immediately looked away from him. His eyes widened slightly. "She's lying right? Alice, please tell me she's lying."

"As if she would tell you the truth! If you don't believe me look at this," Calie held up a magazine, and on the cover was a picture of Roy Harper, Dick Grayson, Kori Anders, and Jade in what appeared to be a double date. "I found this old magazine upstairs. Doesn't the girl on the cover look familiar?"

Don took the magazine and observed the cover. There was no denying it, the girl on the cover was the girl who was standing behind him. He looked at Jade with hurt eyes.

"Hey yeah...," said a boy from the crowd, pointing at Jade. "She does look familiar. She's the chick that Roy Harper knocked up! Dudes, she has a baby."

"Shouldn't she be at home with her kid?" one girl asked, looking disgusted. "What is she doing at this party?"

"Probably trying to find baby daddy number two."

"Better watch out Don!"

The insults kept coming, and it was much more than Jade could handle. She moved forward, ready to flee, but stopped before Don. Tears rolled down her eyes. "I'm really sorry I lied to you. I'm _so _sorry."

He looked away from her. "You should go home to your kid."

She bit her lip to suppress a sob. She wasn't surprised by his words. It was to be expected after what she had done and after he learned the truth. Still, it hurt. A lot. She lowered her head before pushing her way out the crowd and to the door. Once she was outside she waisted no time and took off running, her vision blurred by tears.

Little did she know that Don too had pushed his way to the door in an attempt to catch her. Unfortunately he was to late. Not only had he missed her, but he missed the chance to apologize as well.

TT

Dick had pulled some strings with the manager and got permission to have a bonfire on the beach. Currently him and the others sat in a circle with the bonfire in the middle. In addition to the bonfire, they also had crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows to make smores. They also had a cooler filled with drinks.

Kori crused as she pulled her stick away from the fire and saw a completely black marshmallow at the end of it. She pulled the offending marshmallow off her stick and dropped it to the ground. "No fair. I keep burning mine."

"Here babe, you can have mine," Dick said, holding up his perfectly toasted marshmallow to Kori. She opened her mouth and ate the tasty treat. Once she swallowed she placed a kiss on Dick on the lips and leaned against him, smiling. Dick put an arm around her in response.

"Ew! Enough with the lovey dovey stuff, please," Vic joked, throwing a marshmallow at Dick and Kori.

Dick caught it and popped it into his mouth. Once he was done he stuck his tongue out at Vic, who laughed in response.

"A bonfire was a great idea," Babs commented before taking a sip of her soda. "We should totally do this again some time."

"That's a great idea," Toni said immediately, excited. "We can have it when the school year is over."

"Yeah! And we can take all our school work and burn it," added Jenn, a grin on her face.

"We can make it into one big party," Karen suggested.

"So it's settled then, we'll have one kick ass party at the end of the year," Wally announced, holding up his soda. "Cheers!"

The others grinned and held up their drinks. "Cheers!" they yelled in unison.

"Hey, maybe we should throw some of Raven's books into the bonfire," Gar said jokingly.

Raven sent him a death glare. "Do and die."

"Alright now," Alain spoke up. "Let's not spoil the mood."

Everyone continued to chat and enjoy themselves, and as they did Terra sat back and observed them silently. Her eyes wandered around the circle as she looked at everyone. So far she had the necessary tools to bring down Kori, Dick, Toni, Wally, and Jenn. That left Vic, Karen, Raven, Alain, Babs, and Roy. Lucky for her Kitten felt it was unnecessary to go after Jade, seeing as how she took care of her in the beginning of the school year by exposing her pregnancy.

Terra turned her gaze towards Gar. There was no way she would be able to pass information over to Kitten on Gar. She loved him to much to throw him under the bus. Her eyes turned to the others, and she lowered her gaze. She cared about them to, but she would have to betray them. If she didn't Kitten would have her head.

"You alright, Terra?" Gar asked, eyes full of concern. The others gazed upon Terra with concerned eyes too, noticing that the blonde had been awfully quiet.

Terra smiled at them, burying any feeling of melancholy. "I'm fine."

TT

Roy had been sitting at the foot of the stairs by the time Jade returned home. He was surprised by her appearance when she entered the house. Her eyes were red, leading him to believe that she had been crying, and she looked as if she had run a mile. Upon seeing her he had the urge to grab her in his arms, but he restrained himself. He needed to remain firm. "We need to talk," he told her calmly.

"Not right now, Roy. I'm not feeling good," she replied as she wiped her eyes.

"I don't care," he said as he stood up. "We need to talk. Now."

"I said not now!" she yelled as she stormed off to the kitchen since he was blocking the stairs.

Roy followed her. "Listen, I don't know what your problem is, but I do know we need to do something about this attitude of yours. If you wanna be mad at me then fine, but we have a daughter to think about."

Jade rubbed her temples, wishing that he would just shut up and leave her alone. "Go away..."

"I'm not going anywhere until we talk, Jade. We need to figure something out, because quite frankly you're beginning to piss me off."

She glared at him. She did not need this right now. "I'm pissing you off? You're the one who is pissing me off!"

"Then tell me what I'm doing wrong so I can fix it!"

He had been expecting her to yell at him some more, maybe even confess what has been bothering her for so long. What he didn't expect was for her to kiss him. Although baffled and taken off guard, Roy found himself giving into the kiss almost instantly. It had been so long since the two last kissed like this, with love and passion, he couldn't help but succumb to it. However, when he felt Jade's hands go to his belt, he gained his willpower back and pushed her away, remembering why he had followed her in the first place.

Jade frowned at him. "What's wrong? I thought this is what you wanted."

"I do want this, but--"

"So then let's pick up where we left off," she murmured seductively, attempting to kiss him again. She was shocked when he moved away from her.

"Jade, we can't. Not until we clear some things up."

She found herself enraged by his rejection, and she lashed out on him. "I know the real reason why you're pushing me away. It's because you don't think I'm attractive enough, right? You look at me and all you see is the mother of your child! I'm nothing more than a teenage mother..."

"Jade, you couldn't be more wrong," he said softly as he took a step closer to her. "You mean the world to me. That's why I'm fighting so hard now, because I want us to work--"

"Liar! You're a liar!"

He took a step towards her. "Jade..."

She backed away, feeling trapped. "Stay away from me..."

Roy sighed. He couldn't understand why she was being so difficult. He ignored her request and advanced towards her. This was a big mistake on his part, for it caused Jade to panic. In her panicky state she took the nearest thing to her, which happened to be a plate, and threw it at him.

Roy barely managed to dodge out of the way, and the plate shattered upon impact with the floor. His eyes widened in shock and he looked at her. "Jade, what the hell?!"

She was oblivious to the fact that he had said anything, and she continued to throw whatever she could get her hands on at him. Roy did his best to dodge whatever he could, but he wasn't able to dodge everything.

As she continued to throw things, Jade also voiced her feelings by yelling at Roy. She blamed him for everything, accused him of not caring enough, and even told him that she hated him. Roy heard every word, and it felt like an even bigger blow than the things she threw at him that made contact.

Eventually Jade had run out of things to throw at him, so Roy took this chance to approach her. Perhaps if he could just hold her she would calm down. Although he meant no harm, Jade saw him as a threat, and her eyes looked around widely. She spotted the knife block and quickly dashed towards it. Roy saw this and moved quickly. Just as she grabbed one of the kitchen knives, he grabbed her from behind. His arm wrapped around her waist tightly, pinning her arm to her body, while his other held onto her wrist that had the knife. Jade thrashed against him, but this only made him hold onto her tighter.

"You bastard, let me go!" she yelled.

"Not until you calm down!" he told her, struggling to keep her hand with the knife at arms length.

It took longer than he expected, but she eventually stopped fighting against him. Her body became limp in his and she dropped the knife. Roy released her and quickly kicked the knife away as she crumpled to the floor. He remained standing as she broke down crying, trying to make sense of the situation. Why did she suddenly attack him like that?

Her sobs became louder and more tears continued to fall. Roy hesitated, but he eventually kneeled down next to her. His hand went to her shoulder, and when she didn't push him away he slowly brought her into his embrace. To his surprise she clutched him tightly, and he couldn't help but do the same to her.

"I... I... I'm so sorry!" she continued to cry, and after a long pause she spoke again. "Something is wrong with me! I know iy, I can feel it... but I don't know what! Roy... I'm scared!"

He stroked her hair. "It'll be okay... because I'm going to take care of you."

The only question was how.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO Agent of the Divine One, Emily Snow12, BerryDrops, Romancelover1321, Daniella TT, StarReader86, iBelieveInAngels, sparklebluelemon, rambo103.7, Star $ Robin, TeenTitansFreakFan, Little Miss Juliet, Quibblo, tennisgal456, Errant Wrath, AND cookiesruletheworld FOR THE FANTASTIC REVIEWS! YOU ARE ALL SO AWESOME! I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

**FORTY-SEVEN CHAPTERS DOWN, THIRTEEN MORE TO GO. THIS CHAPTER WOULD HAVE BEEN OUT SOONER, BUT I WASN'T ABLE TO LOG INTO MY FANFICTION ACCOUNT, AND WHEN I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO I COULDN'T UPLOAD A DOCUMENT. BUT THIS CHAPTER IS FINALLY HERE AND POSTED AND NOW I'M HAPPY!**

**IN CASE ANYONE IS WONDERING, I NAMED THIS CHAPTER AFTER A SONG. IT'S CALLED The Kill BY 30 Seconds To Mars. I REALLY LIKE THE SONG, AND, I DUNNO, I FEEL IT SORTA FITS WITH THIS CHAPTER. I RECOMMEND IT.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: ROY COMES TO THE CONCLUSION THAT JADE HAS POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION, BUT NOW HE HAS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT.**

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	48. Decode

Roy was resting besides Jade, his hands absently stroking her hair while she slept peacefully on his chest. It had been such a long time since the two were close like this, and to be close like this again was something Roy had been craving. However, he couldn't enjoy this moment. This moment had been derived from Jade's pain, and it was up to him to find out what had triggered all this. If he accomplished that he would be able to help her, then he could have a moment like this based on pure happiness instead of worry and grief.

Taking a look at Jade, Roy was sure that she was sleeping. He carefully removed himself from her bed and then pulled a blanket over her. He then placed a kiss on top of her head before leaving her room to go to his. Upon entering his room he went over to his desk where his laptop resided.

If he was going to help Jade he needed to find out what was wrong with her first. He sat down and pulled his chair to his desk. His hands went to the keyboard, hovering over it, and he paused.

What now?

He didn't have a clue were to start. What was he supposed to look up? Disease? Anger issues? He knew Jade was moody, but was that enough evidence to prove anything? And what was there to prove?

Roy growled in frustration and clenched his fist, holding back the urge to punch something. He reminded himself to stay calm, and after several seconds sighed to clear his head.

"Okay, think... think...," he murmured to himself, rubbing his chin in thought. Jade had a problem, and it was connected to something.... Maybe if he was to pinpoint when her odd behavior began that would give him the answer he needed. "Alright. Jade started acting weird when... when..." His eyes widened in fright as realization dawned on him. "When Lian came home."

His fingers typed at the keyboard with lightning speed as he chanted the word 'no' over and over. _Please not that_, he thought as he scanned the web. _Anything but that._

He clicked a website and once it finished loading the words 'postpartum depression' were before him in bold capital letters. He flinched at the 'in your face' way the information was presented. It just seemed so rude to him how it was in bold capital letters. He ignored his agitated feelings and focused on reading the information the website provided.

He read for what felt like hours, learning all about the symptoms of postpartum depression, and he was horrified to realize that Jade's behavior matched that of the symptoms listed. When he was finished reading he felt numb, and he stared at the ceiling with a blank expression. His mind was jumbled with thoughts of Jade and the information he just learned. Was it possible that Jade, the love of his life and mother his child, had postpartum depression?

Roy felt himself crumpling at the thought, and immediately found himself trying to deny it. His attempt was futile, and he succumbed to the truth, though reluctantly. His eyes fell upon the picture of him and Jade sitting on his desk, and he couldn't turn his eyes away. It was them back when they were happy, healthy, problem free freshmen. It was them before all the drama and crap.

Roy took the photo in his hand and examined it closely, old memories resurfacing. He remembered a specific time for him and Jade back when they were sophomores. He was suffering from withdrawal after beating a nasty addiction to heroin, and Jade was with him every step of the way. She kept him company, listened to him, talked to him. She sat through his angry outbursts and didn't even flinch, she held him when he couldn't calm down, and she was always there for him. If Jade hadn't been there to support him, he was sure he would have went back to drugs.

Which was all the more reason why he needed to help her. This time Jade was the one who needed support, he was going to make sure that he would be the one to give it to her. This was his chance to take care of her. He placed the picture back in its rightful spot and his eyes came upon a second photo. It was a photo of Lian during her first day at home.

Worry poked at Roy liked a bothersome person as he recalled some of the details he read about concerning postpartum depression. He read that sometimes women who have it would do things they normally wouldn't, like harming themselves or the baby. Judging how Jade had harmed him, Roy didn't want to take the chance of her harming Lian. For now it would be best to keep the two apart.

With his decision being final, Roy then decided to call Ollie to inform him of his predicament. He took out his cell phone and called Ollie up. It took a few minutes before Roy heard Ollie's voice.

_"Roy, do you have any idea what time it is?"_ Ollie scolded. The older man was rather cranky that his sleep was disturbed. Roy heard him sigh before speaking again. _"So tell me, did you and Jade work things out?"_

Roy hesitated before answering. "Not exactly...," he released a breath of air before continuing. "Ollie... I think Jade has postpartum depression."

There was a pause.

_"Excuse me?"_

"Come on, Ollie, don't make me say it again. I'm having a rough time wrapping my head around this as it is."

_"Roy, what you're saying is a serious accusation. I mean, are you sure?"_

"Positive. Jade's behavior matches the symptoms."

_"Okay... okay... This is what we're going to do. I'll--"_

"Ollie, I'm going to help Jade through this," Roy cut in firmly. "She helped me through my drug addiction, so I'm going to help her."

_"That's easier said than done,"_ Ollie responded. _"Your heart is in the right place, but Jade needs professional help."_

"I can't just stick her with some shrink. I can get her to open up to me."

_"I don't know about this. I think you're taking on more than you can handle."_

"I know... but I have to at least try. Look, I know what it's like to grow up without a mom. I don't want that for Lian. Please, just let me do this."

There was a pause, and Roy was positive that Ollie was going to refuse his request. To his surprise, Ollie relented.

_"Fine, but the minute you can't handle it or need something you let me know."_

"I will, thanks," Roy paused and spoke again, his voice a bit timid. "I actually need something from you now... You see, I read online that some women with postpartum depression feel compelled to harm the baby..."

"_You think Jade would hurt Lian?" _Ollie asked in alarm.

"I'm not sure, but I don't want to take any chances," Roy sighed, dreading his next words. "That's why I want you and Dinah to stay with Lian for a few days. Just until I get Jade under control."

_"Since its regarding Lian's safety there's no problem. Dinah and I will take care of her."_

"Thanks," Roy was glad Ollie trusted him. "I'll keep you up to speed with how Jade is doing."

_"And I'll do the same with Lian."_

"One more thing, Ollie," Roy added softly. "Give Lian a kiss for me and Jade."

_"Alright. Night, Roy."_

"Night," Roy replied back before shutting his phone. He slipped the device into his pocket before returning to Jade's room. Once there he slipped into bed besides her and wrapped an arm around her waist. As he laid besides her, he silently reassured himself that he was capable of helping her. He could do this.

At least he hoped he could.

TT

Morning finally came, and when Roy opened his eyes he was shocked to find Jade vacant from the bed. He sat up immediately and looked around. "Jade?"

Upon hearing no response he got out of bed and wandered into the hall, calling out for Jade a second time. Like before, there was no response. Feeling worried, he checked all of the rooms. His search came up empty, so he proceeded downstairs to look for her.

"Jade?" he poked his head into the empty living room and then proceeded to the kitchen. He found her in there, and a look of relief came to his face. "There you are. I was looking for you." He took a seat next to her at the table, being careful not to step on any glass. "Didn't you hear me calling?"

She didn't answer and merely held a blank look on her face.

Roy put a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently. "Jade? Are you okay?"

"I... I did all this?" she asked softly, her gaze locked onto the floor littered with glass.

He knew what she was referring to and nodded his head.

"You must think I'm crazy."

"Jade, you're not crazy," he replied firmly, cupping her cheek and turning her face so they locked eyes. "I'm not angry at you."

She removed his hand, though she didn't let go, and looked away. "You should be. Not only is the kitchen a mess because of me, but I also hurt you." She lowered her head in guilt. "I'm sorry."

He squeezed her hand. "It's okay."

"It is not okay!" she snapped at him, standing up abruptly and she pulled her hands away from his. "I'm a horrible daughter, a horrible girlfriend, a horrible mother, and let's not forget a high school dropout! How can you say it's okay when clearly it's not?"

"Jade," he reached for her hands and took them in his own again, his voice was soft and soothing. "Calm down."

She snatched her hands away from him as if he burned her. Her eyes shifted nervously and she rubbed her arm. "... I'm going back to bed."

She took long strides towards the exit, but stopped immediately when Roy stood up and called out to her.

"Jade, wait," he paused to make sure she wasn't going to flee before continuing. "Look, I know that you're going through a rough time right now, but I can't help you if you run away every time I try to talk to you."

She turned around and glared at him. "Why would I talk to you? You couldn't possibly begin to understand how I feel."

He didn't know how to respond to that, and after a long pause of silence Jade took her leave and headed up the stairs. The echo of a door slamming shut reached his ears, and Roy sat back down in his seat feeling defeated. He rubbed his hand along his face, feeling like a pathetic loser. Last night Jade had cried in his arms and confessed her fear to him, he gotten the chance to hold and sleep besides her. Last night had felt like progress, but now it felt as if he had taken two steps back.

A groan of frustration escaped his lips. How was he supposed to help Jade when she refused to speak to him? Why was it so hard for her to talk to him. He was on her side, after all. The only thing he wanted to do was help her. Then again, Jade wasn't her usual self... He had read that women with postpartum depression experienced confusion and agitation. Jade was most likely confused about his motives and couldn't realize his true intentions. Maybe that's why she seemed so agitated when they talked earlier...

Whatever the reason, he knew he had to fix this. But how? If Jade refused to open up to him they wouldn't get any progress done. He wished she would just confess her feelings to him, or that the his friends were here to help him conjure up a plan, but they were all in Steel City...

Roy's eyes flew open in realization. Jade didn't want to talk to him, but he did know one person she would talk to. He quickly took out his cell phone and called up the one person he knew Jade would talk to. His fingers drummed against the table impatiently as he waited... and waited...

Finally, someone picked up. _"Hello, this is the red headed hottie speaking, how may I be of service?"_

Roy was taken aback, and his brow raised. "Wally, what are you doing with Jenn's phone," he shook his head, he didn't have time for this. "Never mind. Just put Jenn on the phone."

_"Sorry, Roy, but I'm currently in a game of keep away--"_

_"Wally, knock it off! Gimmie my phone!"_

_"Make me slowpoke!"_

_"Ugh, I told you not to call me that! And who is that on the phone? Are you prank calling people on my phone?"_

_"No. Roy called. He wants to talk to you."_

_"So then gimmie my phone!"_

_"Make me--OW! Ow, ow, okay, here, take it... Sheesh, you amazon woman."_

_"Hey, Roy, sorry about that," _Jenn's voice greeted him. "_Wally was being a moron. So what's up?"_

Roy resisted the urge to ask what she did to his friend to get her phone back, and decided to instead get down to business. There would be time for small talk after Jade was better. "Jenn, I need your help. Or rather Jade does."

He could sense the worry that filled Jenn's voice. "_What happened? Is she okay?"_

"She's fine physically... Mentally is a different story," he sighed before continuing. "I think she has postpartum depression."

Immediately Jenn was filled with disbelief. "_No... No, that's not possible. Jade--"_

"Hasn't been herself lately. You should have seen her yesterday, it was like she was a completely different person."

Jenn was about to rebuttal, but before she could she recalled the last time her and Jade had spent quality time together. Jade seemed fine, except for when she purposelly ignored Lian's cries. She had brushed the incident off as nothing more than Jade being stressed, but currently she was beginning to think she was wrong.

"Jenn, she's barely eatting and she won't talk to me. I know she would talk to you. Please, you need to come back to Jump City."

Jenn answered him immediately. "_I'll be there as soon as possible."_

TT

After her conversation with Roy ended Jenn told Wally to help her look for the others, a task he didn't question upon seeing her serious expression. She needed a ride to Jump City, and _fast_. Jade needed her. Had the roles been reversed she knew Jade would do everything in her power to get to her, and Jenn offered her the same dedication.

As she stood in the elevator a wave of guilt washed over her. Jenn couldn't help but feel partially responsible for Jade's condition. She should have stated in Jump City with her, keep her company. She should have told Roy about that one time when Jade ignored Lian instead of ignoring it. There were a lot of things she could have done differently, but dwelling on it wouldn't change anything. Taking action _now _was the only way to resolve things.

She stepped onto the fourth floor and headed for the room she was in last, room 406. Her, Wally, Toni, Kori, and Dick had been playing cards in there. She wiped the floor with Wally, who then turned into a sore loser and snatched her phone. Before she even realized it he was running away with her precious phone, with her chasing after him.

As she neared her destination, Jenn could hear the laughter of the others. Fortunately for her they were still there, it would save her the trouble of hunting them down. She pushed the door open, and three faces looked up at her.

"Jenn, you're back soon," Dick commented as he set a card down, turning back to the game. "I figured you'd still be chasing after Wally."

"Come, Jenn," Kori said as she patted the empty spot besides her. "Let us continue with our game."

Jenn stepped into the room, but didn't sit down. She held a serious expression countenance, something the others soon noticed, and they looked at her in concern.

"Is something wrong love?" Toni asked, sitting up.

"I need to go back to Jump City," Jenn responded firmly.

The other immediately looked baffled.

"Excuse me?" Dick immediately shook his head. After all the planning and fussing he had went through she wanted to leave early? "No way. We still have another two days here."

"Why the sudden urge to leave anyways?" Toni inquired. Yesterday Jenn had a blast as she, her, and the other girls raided the hotel's gift shop.

There was a pause.

"Jade's in trouble."

Toni's eyes widened and Dick dropped the cards he had been holding. There was a pause in which everyone was frozen and silent, but the moment was quickly broken by Kori who stood up.

"We shall begin packing."

"We?" Jenn repeated. "That's not necessary. I just need a ride. You guys can--"

"If Jade's in trouble then we're all going," Kori cut in. Her voice was soft, but she wasn't leaving any room to debate. "Friends stick together."

"Kori's right," Toni added, a smile on her face. "Besides, even if we do stay we won't be able to enjoy ourselves. We'll drown in worry."

"And even if you do by yourself we'd follow," Dick pointed out.

Jenn could tell their decision was final, so instead of wasting time to try and talk them out of it she just smiled and nodded. _Hold on Jade_, she thought. _The cavalry is coming._

TT

When the others learned of their hurried need to leave Steel City, things became chaotic. There was a rush to hurry and pack, and to top it off concern for their friend skyrocketed to the roof. This lead to many of them just throwing thing into their suitcases in a disorganized manner, which in turn left it difficult to close those suitcases.

Toni was faced with this dilemma. Not only did she have her original apparel that she brought to Steel City, but she also had a new set of apparel courtesy of her trip to the hotel's gift shop. In the end her suitcase just wouldn't close so she required help. She asked that Karen sit on her suitcase, but it wasn't enough, so she enlisted Babs help.

Babs, who was in the process of putting away her last set of things, agreed to help. Before she left she turned to Terra. "Do me a favor and zip up my suitcase."

Terra, who had little to pack and had already finished, agreed. "Sure thing."

The blonde went over to Babs suitcase and was ready to close it when something caught her eye. It was a small grey book with yellow bat stickers and a black spiral spine. Written on the bottom right side of the book was the word 'diary'. Terra nearly gasped.

"No way," she picked the book up and ran her fingers across the cover. She had no idea Babs had a diary, though that did explain why the red head stayed up later than her or Jenn. Terra paused and looked at the empty room. Babs was helping Toni, and Jenn had left awhile ago when Wally and Alain called her out of the room...

She quickly zipped up Babs suitcase and went over to her own. She then shoved the diary into her suitcase before hastily zipping it close.

TT

By the time the others arrived in Jump City the sky had lost its blue hue and turned pitch black. Despite the late hour Jenn still wanted to go to see Jade, but Wally and Alain had managed to convince her otherwise. It was late and she was frantic. A good nights sleep would do her well they reasoned. She reluctantly succumbed to them and went home to rest.

Eventually morning time came and as soon as she was dressed Jenn, along with Wally and Alain, left home and traveled to Roy's house. Although time seemed to move incredibly slow for Jenn, the group arrived at their destination in no time. It was still early in the morning, so they were the only ones present when Roy opened the door to let them in.

There was no reunion conversation, asking such questions like "how was your trip?" The three merely walked in quietly and eyed Roy as they did so. He looked terrible. His hair, which was _always _neatly combed, was disheveled. He looked like he hadn't slept, and there was a bruise near his left temple.

Alain's eyes filled with concern. "Roy, what happened to your face?"

"Jade," he answered softly. He didn't give anymore details than that.

"Where is she?" Jenn asked immediately.

"In her room," Roy answered.

Jenn nodded and took a step towards the stairs. "Let me have some alone time with her."

As she made her way up the stairs Roy spoke to her, causing her to halt.

"Jenn," Roy began softly. "If she says something weird just act natural."

The pink haired girl nodded and proceeded up the stairs. She reached the top and eyed Jade's closed door. She gulped before moving forward and reaching for the knob. She pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Jade was laying flat on her stomach, her face buried in her pillow. Upon hearing the door open she scowled. She grabbed her pillow, ready to fling it at her intruder, and turned. "Roy, I told you to...," she didn't get the chance to finish her sentence as her eyes widened and her mouth was left agape. Surprise and excitement gripped at her and she sat up on the bed, a grin spreading across her face. "Jenn!"

A swell of energy emerged from the pink haired girl and she snatched her best friend in a hug. They remained that way for several seconds before pulling away.

Jade smiled genuinely and brushed her long dark hair away from her face. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Steel City?"

Jenn hesitated before answering and chose her words carefully. "It... was boring over there so we came home."

"We?" Jade inquired, her happy smile becoming broader. "The others are here?"

"Yeah. As a matter of fact Wally and Alain are downstairs now," Jenn sat down on the bed, her eyes soft. A small smile came to her face. "How've you been?"

Jade's smile fell and she looked away. "I've... been up to the usual. There's nothing new at all," she forced a smile towards Jenn.

Jenn's smile also fell. She knew Jade was lying, and it hurt her to know that her best friend couldn't be honest with her. However she pushed her own feelings to the side, reminding herself not to take it personally. Jade wasn't her usual self. She decided to pick up the conversation. "Uh, so,how's Lian?"

"Who cares about her, she's fine," she leaned forward. "I wanna hear all about your trip. Give me all the details."

"My trip? It was... it was...," Jenn lowered her gaze as she felt tears coming to her eyes. Roy told her to act natural, but how could she act natural when her best friend was like a completely different person? It hurt to see Jade this way, and before she could even attempt to hold back her tears she was crying.

"Jenn? Jenn, what's wrong?" Jade rubbed her back to comfort her. "Are you okay?" She frowned. "Did Wally do something?"

"No," Jenn assured her, wiping her eyes. "I'm just glad to be back in Jump City."

"Are you sure? Because I can go get you something if you want, or we can talk some other time."

"No, stay here," Jenn pleaded. "I feel like we haven't talked in ages. You know, just the two of us."

"Sure, that sounds great. To be honest I'm glad it's just you and me. Roy has been so annoying lately..."

TT

The two girls spent about an hour talking together, and the more they talked the more disturbed Jenn became. Jade wasn't acting like her normal self. She spoke poorly of herself and Roy and became indifferent and agitated at the mention of Lian. If it hadn't been for her face, Jenn would have sworn she was having a conversation with a stranger. Eventually Wally and Alain became restless and requested that they get a chance to talk to Jade, and the three left for the kitchen. Jenn was going to follow, but Roy took her arm, hindering her.

"How'd it go?" he asked her softly. He had hope in his eyes, and Jenn felt pity for him.

"Not good," she answered sadly, leaning against the wall.

Roy's face fell, and the hope died in his eyes. He really thought Jenn would be able to make a difference, apparently he was wrong. "I really thought she would be honest with you."

"I'm sorry," she paused, then spoke again. "What are you going to do?"

"Keep trying."

Jenn looked at him in disbelief. "You're not serious. Jade needs professional help, Roy. You can't handle this."

"Yes I can," he replied firmly, eyes slightly narrowed.

"No you can't," she insisted, eyes narrowed as well.

"I've got everything under control."

"Really? Because the bruise on your face says otherwise."

"Jenn, you don't understand. I have to be the one to save Jade. I owe her."

"This isn't about you," she snapped. "It's about Jade and what's best for her. If you really want her to get well you'll get her professional help."

"Okay... okay, let's say I do get her professional help," Roy said, desperately trying to keep control of his temper by clenching his fist. "You think Jade is just going to accept that?"

"...no," Jenn confessed softly. She didn't let this factor stop her from convincing Roy that her plan was the way to go. "But if we present a united front then maybe she'll finally listen to us."

"What are you suggesting? An intervention?"

"If that's what it takes."

Roy looked away and crossed his arms. He didn't want to admit it, but Jenn's plan didn't sound like a bad idea. _There is strength in numbers_, he thought. Maybe if Jade could see for herself just how many people cared for her she would stop pulling away. Since he wasn't getting through to her, maybe one of the others could. It was worth a shot.

He sighed and succumbed, though part of him gave in reluctantly. "Fine... fine, we'll do it your way," he continued to speak as he passed her and walked away. "I just hope for Jade's sake that this works."

TT

Jenn, Wally, and Alain served as distractions for Jade while the three of them, plus Roy, waited for the others to arrive. They didn't want Jade to know the others were coming in fear of her catching on to their plan, so they kept her preoccupied while watched in a far corner, drumming his fingers. He was on edge, everyone but Jade could tell, and he kept reminding himself what was about to be done was for Jade's own benefit. Even if she was to become furious, which he was betting she would, it had to be done.

The doorbell rang.

That was his cue. Roy stood up from his seat and passed the others who remained sitting on the sofa. "I'll get it."

As he left the living room Wally reached for the remote and turned the television off.

"Hey, I was watching that," Jade exclaimed.

"You can watch whatever you want later," Roy announced as he entered the living room. "Right now we need to talk."

Jade turned to her side to tell him off, but immediately pursed her li[s upon seeing Dick, Kori, Toni, Karen, Vic, Raven, Gar, Terra, and Babs enter the room too. She looked at everyone in the room before finally settling her eyes on Roy. Her voice was small and confused. "What's going on?"

Jenn chose to answer that question. "Jade, we're all worried about you," she explained carefully. "You just don't seem like yourself lately."

Jade heard the words Jenn said, but kept her eyes focused on Roy. "This... this is your doing isn't it?"

He didn't respond. The way she was looking at him with a hurt expression, as if he had betrayed her, made him almost afraid to answer. When he didn't answer her she glared and asked him again. "Isn't it?!"

He lowered his eyes. "It's for your own good."

She looked at him in disbelief and abruptly stood up and marched towards him. Before anyone could even think to stop her she slapped Roy as hard as she could across the cheek. "For my own good? How could something as embarrassing as this be for my own good?!"

"You left me no other choice," Roy replied as he looked at her again, his hand on his wounded cheek. He briefly wondered it would bruise before focusing on the situation at hand. "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking this is some sort of attack, but it's not. I care about you, _we _all do, which is why we are trying to help."

"Roy is right," Kori spoke up softly, causing Jade to shift focus. "We only want what is best for you, Jade."

Jade scoffed. "What do you know about what's best for me, Kori? You, _little miss perfect_, don't know shit about my problems so keep it to yourself. As a matter of fact you all," she pointed her finger at the girls in the room. "Wouldn't understand me a bit. Not only of you have a child! Not one of you bitches understand my feelings!"

There was a moment of silence.

"You're absolutely right," Raven spoke up, eyes locked on Jade. "We couldn't possibly begin to understand, but if you talk to us than maybe we could."

For a moment Jade's expression began to soften, but in the blink of an eye she slipped back into wearing a scowl. "Right, I should just talk like everyone else here does. Because that's what everyone here does, right? We talk about our feelings," she laughed. "Give me a break!"

Vic put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Jade--"

"Don't fucking touch me!" she pulled away instantly, and Vic backed up when she jabbed a finger at him. "You... you cheated on Karen, but did you come right out and say it? Oh no, Karen had the pleasure of walking in on you and Sara kissing! So don't stand there and judge me!"

"We're not trying to judge you," Dick assured her. Unlike Vic he made no attempts to approach her. "The reason we're here today is to guide you on the right path. We know you're hurting, but you have all of us to lean on."

Jade laughed again. "Are you kidding me? You're a freakin' hypocrite!" she glared at Dick before turning her eyes towards Babs and Terra who were standing next to each other. "You two both heard what he said right? Well I can tell you both right now that he's full of it. Last year Dick had a drinking problem! To get rid of his pain he chose to get drunk over and over again instead of coming to his friends."

Terra, having already learned this from Dick himself, wasn't surprised. Babs, on the other hand, gasped and looked over at Dick in shock. He noticed her shocked expression and lowered his head shamefully.

"He's not the only one who had an addiction problem," Jade continued. She pointed a finger at Roy. "This asshole right here was addicted to heroin. Can you believe that? _Heroin_!" She chuckled. "He was even dumb enough to overdose."

This time Terra was surprised and she gazed upon Roy with wide eyes. No doubt this was something Kitten would want to know.

Jade smirked at Roy with a look of triumph and the others remained silent. Just when all seemed lost, a frustrated Toni spoke up.

"Alright, Jade, that's enough!" Toni snapped, surprising everyone. "This isn't about us, it's about _you_. You have a problem, and instead of facing it head on you're avoiding it like a coward."

The room was frozen in silence as Toni's words sunk in. While it did everyone kept their eyes focused on Toni and Jade, worried that the latter would attack. However, this fear was put to rest when Jade's eyes filled with tears, which she was struggling to hold back. Perhaps Toni's tough love was a little to tough.

"There is nothing wrong with me," she hissed as she turned on her heel and moved towards the exit. She stopped when her path was blocked. She scowled, but due to her tear filled eyes it had little effect. "Move."

Gar gulped but held his ground. "No."

"I said _move!"_

Karen backed Gar up. "Sorry, Jade, but we can't let you leave."

Jade moved back and looked around, feeling almost claustrophobic. She tried to think of a way to escape, to get them to leave her alone, but couldn't focus her thoughts. She breathed heavily, feeling one to many emotions at once. Feeling desperate, and still unconvinced that there was a problem with herself, she tried to plead with the others. "There's nothing wrong with me. I've just been stressed lately. You guys wouldn't understand because you all have it so easy."

The others made no comment, so Jade tried to plead with them again, only this time she was interrupted by Alain.

"Jade," he said softly, looking her in the eye. "There's a strong possibility that you have postpartum depression."

She shook her head. "No... no! That's not possible. I'm just stressed! That's all!"

"Jade," this time it was Wally who spoke. "You don't have to be scared. Our dads," he motioned to himself, Roy, Alain, and Dick. "Know this great therapist. His name is John Jones, and he's going to help you get better. But that's only if you let him."

"I don't need help, I'm fine," she turned to Roy. "Tell them. Roy, tell them I'm fine!"

Roy walked over to Jade and stood before her, keeping his hands to himself despite the urge to hold her. They locked eyes and Roy could see the desperation in her green orbs. She needed him to tell her she was okay, and as much as he wanted to he couldn't. "Jade, I spoke with Ollie. He scheduled an appointment for you to see Mr. Jones."

She shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes. "No."

Roy continued. "When he sees you he'll be able to treat you for postpartum depression."

"No...," she leaned her head against his chest and hit him repeatedly. Her punches were weak and did no harm against Roy, but to him they hurt more than the slap she delivered to his face earlier. Earlier she appeared to have the strength to take anyone on, now she seemed so broken and fragile. It hurt to see her this way.

As she continued to punch him she mumbled the word 'no' over and over. Roy put a hand to her hair and stroked it gently before sending the others a look that told them to leave. They instantly took their leave for the next room. Once alone Roy gently pulled Jade away from him and she became silent and unmoving.

"Jade, would you please look at me?" he asked softly.

There was a short pause before she complied. After they locked eyes she spoke. "Why? Why would you say I have postpartum depression when you know I'm fine?"

He gingerly pushed her hair away from her face. "You're not fine sweetheart. You know you're not," he kissed the top of her head before continuing. "Don't you remember that night in the kitchen? You told me so yourself that something was wrong."

"I... I... don't remember," she confessed sadly, looking away.

He pulled her in for a hug and she timidly responded before bracing him tightly.

TT

Despite the ugliness of the intervention, it had served its purpose of convincing Jade to seek professional help. Currently Roy, Dinah, and Ollie sat in the waiting room outside John Jones office. Roy sighed, feeling restless. Absentmindedly he flipped open and flipped closed his phone again and again. He briefly considered, but decided against it. He knew Lian was fine, the only reason why he wanted to speak with Alain was because he wanted a distraction. Sitting in this silent waiting room was suffocating.

Just when he was about ready to get up and start pacing the door opened to John's office and Jade emerged. She had her arms crossed and her eyes lowered, but Roy couldn't tell if she was sad or upset. She seemed... blank.

He was about to wrap her into a hug, but John emerged and stopped him.

"Roy, may I speak with you a moment?" the tall, light brown haired man asked.

Roy looked from the older man to Jade, unable to decide whom to devote his attention. The choice was made for him when Ollie placed a hand on his shoulder and lead him into John's office. Roy turned his head before entering, catching a glimpse of Dinah tending to Jade. The three men shut the door behind them.

Upon entering Roy took the opportunity to gaze around. John's office was very large, probably big enough to fit two living rooms, and had a gracious view of the city. To the right was a desk along with two chairs, one on either side, and a bookshelf stuffed with think books, awards, photos, and binders with labels on the spines. To the left was a light green fainting couch, a coffee table, and a light green armchair. A small plant sat on the table.

John sat on the armchair and motioned towards the fainting couch. "Please, take a seat."

Ollie and Roy did as they were told, and as soon as he was settled Roy began to speak. "So you're going to help Jade right?"

"I assure you, Roy, that I will do everything in my power to help," John replied kindly. He paused before continuing. "However the road to recovery is a difficult one. Postpartum depression is serious."

Roy nodded in understanding. "So what happens now?"

"For starters I would like to prescribe some antidepressants. This will be to improve her mood and concentration. It'll also help her to sleep and regain her appetite. Healthy sleep patterns and a healthly diet can go a long way."

"Are you sure the medication will work?" Roy asked. He had heard that some antidepressants had the opposite effect and was now worried. The last thing he wanted was for Jade to get worse.

"If the medication has an adverse effect Jade will have to discontinue using it," John explained. "I would also like Jade to begin therapy. Counseling is usually the right way to go in a situation like this. I also recommend a support group."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that Jade should not only have her friends and family, but an outside support group as well. One that contains people who have been through what she has."

"That sounds good," Roy commented. Him and the others didn't know exactly how Jade was feeling, maybe if she associated with people who were more like her she wouldn't have a problem opening up. He looked at John. "Anything else?"

There was a pause.

"Roy...," John leaned forward before continuing. "Ollie told me that Jade sometimes has violent outburst when angered. Is this true?"

"Well... yeah," Roy confessed softly, resisting the urge to look at Ollie. Just how much information did he tell John? "But it's not a big deal. I can handle Jade when she's angry."

"I believe you fail to understand the seriousness of this. So far Jade has only become violent towards you, but even with treatment she will continue to have these outburst before fully healed. You need to think about Lian's safety as well as the rest of your family."

Roy pursed his lips. He did care about Lian, Ollie, and Dinah. He just also wanted Jade to get well.

John continued. "I think it would be in the best interest of everyone if Jade attended a clinic while undergoing treatment."

"What do you mean by clinic?" Roy inquired, defensive. "Are you telling me to just ship her off?"

"Not at all. The clinic I'm referring to is in Jump City and--"

"I don't care where it is," Roy snapped angrily, face twisted into a scowl. "I want Jade to stay with me."

"And I want what is best for my patient," John replied calmly as he raised himself up from his seat. He went over to his desk and fished out two pamphlets before returning to his seat. Before sitting down he gave both Ollie and Roy a pamphlet. "Oak Haven is the best place for Jade right now."

Roy crumbled his pamplet, and Ollie looked over at his friend. "Can you give us a moment?"

"Oh course," John complied before silently leaving the room.

Once John left the room Ollie spoke again. "I think Jade should go to Oak Haven."

Roy was quick to protest. "Ollie, we can't--"

Ollie held up his hand, silencing his ward. "John knows what he's doing and I think we should listen to his advice... but the decision is up to you, if you want we'll figure out something out," he handed Roy his pamphlet. "Before you decide I really want you to think about everything, Roy. There's a lot at stake here."

There was a pause in which Roy considered everything and he suddenly found himself coming to a conclusion he didn't like.

TT

Roy entered Jade's room just in time to catch sight of her closing her suitcase. "That your last suitcase?"

"Yeah," she answered briskly, snapping the fasteners. "I see you can't wait to get rid of me."

"That's not true," he replied as he entered the room. He sighed before continuing. "Do you want to say goodbye to Lian before you leave?"

She heaved her suitcase off of her bed and glared at him. "Why should I? You all think I'm a danger to her. Isn't that why you're sending me away?"

"It's not like I want you to go."

"Then let me stay!"

"I can't!" he bellowed before explaining his reasoning. "I have to do what's best for Lian, what's best for all of us. If the shoe was on the opposite foot you would do what's best for our little girl." He sighed. "C'mon, Jade, I'm trying to do the right thing here."

He expected her to yell at him, but instead she calmly strode up to him and stopped once they were mere inches apart.

What she did next felt like a stab to the gut.

"I hate you."

With that being said Jade left the room and proceeded down the stairs where Dinah was waiting for her. Meanwhile Roy's expression was blank and he remained frozen. Of all the things she could have said to him that the worse, and it left Roy feeling very much alone.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO Emily Snow12, BerryDrops, Romancelover1321, TeenTitansFreakFan, Agent of the Divine One, iBelieveInAngels, clarkLover1, NegativeCloud, sparklebluelemon, Little Miss Juliet, Gotta Luv The Name, Some1's Lost Soul, tennisgal456, Trimacle, cookiesruletheworld, AND Daniella TT FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE GREAT! I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER!**

**SORRY THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG, I WAS WORKING ON AN ART PORTFOLIO. ALSO, I HAD TO REDO THIS CHAPTER ON MY OLDER SISTER LAPTOP BECAUSE THE INTERNET ON MY COMPUTER ISN'T WORKING. I TRIED FIXING IT BUT I DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT I WAS DOING. HOPEFULLY I CAN GET SOMEONE \WHO'S GOOD WITH COMPUTERS TO HELP ME OUT. UNTIL THEN I'M AT THE MERCY OF MY SISTER FOR CONTINUED USE OF HER LAPTOP. WISH ME LUCK!**

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**NEXT CHAPTER: SPRING BREAK IS OVER AND IT'S BACK TO SCHOOL! WITH JADE GONE ROY BEGINS TO CHANGE, AND NOT FOR THE BETTER. MEANWHILE KITTEN WANTS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH HER EVIL SCHEME, BUT TERRA HAS OTHER PLANS. ALSO, A BLAST FROM THE PAST COMES KNOCKING AT RAVEN'S DOOR. AND WHAT EXACTLY IS KAREN UP TO?**

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	49. The take over, the break's over

Spring break ended and along with it so did the month of April. The month of May had began, and with it was a fresh new day of school. It was a beautiful morning, and currently first period had yet to begin at Jump City High School. Karen had arrived with Terra and the two were currently by Karen's locker chatting.

Karen showed Terra her wrist, or more specifically the beautiful accessory that dangled from it. It was a gold charm bracelet. The charms that dangled from it was the letter K, a heart, a music note, a guitar, a piano, a microphone, and a horn. "Isn't it great," Karen said as her fingers gingerly touched the charms. "Mal gave it to me yesterday."

Terra released a whistle, impressed. "It's really cool," Terra commented, touching the charms herself. "It must have cost him big."

"You think so? I asked him about the price and he wouldn't tell me. He said price isn't an issue for the girl he loves and kissed me, so I forgot all about it," a dreamy expression came to Karen's face and Terra swore she saw hearts floating around the girl next to her. "He's such a good kisser... and so sweet." Her smile widened. "I love him so much!"

Terra stuck her finger in her mouth and pretended to gag. Slightly offended Karen shoved her gently, causing the tomboy to laugh and apologize. They then decided to stop hanging around and make their way to class while still having their conversation.

"So what was the occasion?"

"There was no occassion," Karen answered. "He just wanted to do something nice for me." She glanced at her friend. "What about you? Does Gar spoil you rotten?"

Terra laughed. "No way! The last gift he gave me was a giant chocolate chip cookie, best cookie I've ever had hands down, but he kept looking at me with these puppy dog eyes," she sighed. "I gave him half."

Karen laughed. "That's Gar for you. Junk food is his weakness."

Terra shrugged. "Yeah I guess... but he's still totally sweet," she claimed, looking at her friend. "You know he made me a heart shaped jewelry box. That was the best gift anyone has ever given me."

"Speaking of gifts," Karen began as she pulled Terra to the side and into the girls bathroom. She paused a moment to check that it was empty before continuing and locking eyes with Terra. "I wanna get something special for Mal, but I don't know what. Any ideas?"

Terra took a seat on the sink. "Why are you getting him a present?"

"Because Mal is always treating me and is always so great to me. I want to do something nice for him for a change."

"Ah, so it's a guilt present."

"It is not! I want to do something nice for the one I love," Karen admitted softly.

Terra's eyes widened. Perhaps she should do something special for Gar...

"So what do you think I should give him?" Karen inquired.

There was a pause in which both girls thought in silence.

"Why not give him a naughty photo?" Terra jokingly suggested, chuckling. "What boy wouldn't love that?"

Terra continued to laugh and waited for Karen to join in any moment. When the moment never arrived Terra looked over at Karen in concern, worried that her joke may have insulted the taller girl. When she looked at Karen she saw no signs of anger on her face and raised a brow. "Karen?"

Karen grinned excitedly. "That's a great idea!"

Terra nearly fell in shock. She caught her balance and stood to her feet. "What? Dude, it was joke. You know, ha ha."

Karen wasn't listening. "It's perfect. It's unique, it's personal, and it'll show him how I feel. I'm sure he'll love it."

"Karen? Dude?" Terra tried to capture the girl's attention and failed. It was as if Karen had disappeared in her own world. "It was a joke! I wasn't serious."

"I'll arrange a photoshoot with Donna," Karen planned, oblivious to Terra's words. "She likes taking pictures... I'm sure she'll help me. Oh, I can't wait to call her!" She snapped her fingers before fleeing the bathroom. "Maybe I can ask her before class starts."

Terra was left in a stupor as Karen left the bathroom. The door swinging close caught her attention and she shook her head to capture her thoughts. "That was weird."

TT

Class was rolling by without a hitch and eventually Kori and the others all sat down for lunch. Vic and Wally described this period as "the best class school has to offer", to which Dick countered that lunch wasn't an actual class. They responded by calling him a smartass.

The usual group of thirteen was down three members today. Karen was off speaking with Donna (who had a free period), Raven had decided to skip lunch, and Roy was absent. Roy's absence had a particular negative effect on Alain who was extremely worried about his friend. He voiced his concern to his friends.

"I'm worried about Roy," he announced abruptly, grabbing everyones attention. "Ever since Jade left I can't get ahold of him."

"Come to think of it I've tried calling him, but get no answer," Wally confessed, worried now.

"I went over to his house, but he wasn't there," Dick said. "Dinah was there. She told me he's been depressed and not his usual self. He hasn't even been spending time with Lian."

"This is bad," Alain commented. "This is just like last year before he started using."

"Maybe there's something we can do to cheer him up," Babs suggested.

"Unless you can deliver a healthy happy Jade to his doorstep I don't think we have much of a chance," Jenn said.

"And how are we even supposed to do anything for him if he doesn't answer his phone or is even home?" Terra asked.

"Okay, enough with the negativity," Toni snapped, seeing how each comment affected Alain. She looked at her friends. "For now let's just put our heads together and figure out a way to make Roy happy. We'll figure out how to catch him later."

There was a _long _silent pause in which Toni waited for some suggestions. She got nothing.

Toni frowned. "Okay, it's official, you all suck at planning," she sighed and rest her chin in the palm of her hand. "Where's Raven? Maybe she could think of something."

"She said she didn't feel like having lunch, and then she wandered off before I could say anything," Kori frowned, feeling extremely worried for her best friend now. "Raven has been acting very weird lately."

"When doesn't she act weird?" Vic said before sipping his soda, earning a nudge from Dick.

"This is serious," Kori stated. "I think something is seriously bothering her."

"Relax, Kori," Dick commanded softly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure if anything is wrong Raven will tell us on her own time. For now let's just give her space."

"I suppose you're right..."

"And besides, I think Roy needs our help more than Raven does right now. So c'mon people, how are we going to help our buddy?"

There was another _long _silent pause.

Gar cleared his throat. "Um, guys, I left something in my locker," he stood up from the table. "Ill let you know if I think of something. And nobody eat my tofu!"

"As if we'd wanna eat that nasty crud," Vic shouted as Gar left the table.

Before Gar was out of earshot he heard Kori suggest getting Roy a puppy, to which the others immediately replied no and said he wasn't five years old. Gar didn't hear anything after that for he was out of earshot. It wasn't long until he entered the school, but instead of going to his locker he went in the opposite direction. What Kori said had really made him worried, and he believed Raven needed to be checked on. For now he would let the others fuss over Roy, but as of right now his main concern was Raven.

_Now if I was Raven where would I be?_ he asked himself. The answer came to him immediately and he snorted. "Dub, the library."

With a destination in mind it didn't take him long to arrive at the area he wanted to be. He entered the library and almost immediately found Raven. She was sitting at a table all by herself, her eyes facing downward as she read a book. _Figures she'd be reading_, Gar thought as he approached her. Feeling playful, he sneaked up behind her and covered her eyes with his hands.

"Guess wh--Ow!"

Before Gar could finish Raven, who was taken off guard, elbowed him in the gut and twisted his arm before pinning him to the table. She immediately withdrew herself once she realized it was Gar, though part of her wouldn't have minded seeing him squirm a little while longer. She pushed the thought to the side and glared at her companion who was whimpering and rubbing his arm. "Gar, what are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" he glared at her. "What are you doing? You could've broken my arm!"

The librarian sent a glare in their direction.

Gar lowered his tone, but the scowl on his face remained. "You owe me an apology."

"No."

"But--"

"No," she repeated again, sitting down.

He sighed and mimicked her action. "Fine. Would you at least tell me why you didn't come to lunch?"

She hesitated a moment but quickly regained her cold exterior. "I wasn't hungry."

"Bullshit," Gar pulled the book she had been reading away from her and shut it. "Now what's really going on?"

"What makes you think I'd tell you anything?" she snapped, glaring daggers at him. She reached for the book but he held it away from her.

"Because I'm your friend, that's why," he snapped back, matching her glare for glare. "So quite acting stubborn and just talk to me."

She crossed her arms, prepared to ride out the rest of the period in silence, knowing that as soon as it was over they would have to go to class. However, she figured that as soon as school was over he would keep at it until he knew what was bothering her, and he would probably get Kori and the other involved to... In the end it seemed like a huge headache she could avoid by being honest now.

She sighed and reluctantly spoke up. "Fine, but what I'm about to say stays between us, and only _us_," she narrowed her eyes. "Deal?"

"Whatever you say dudette--I mean, Raven," he leaned forward. "So spill already."

"Okay... I've been in contact with someone... someone I shouldn't even be speaking to," her expression was one of guilt and she lowered her eyes. "I've been in contact with my father."

"WHAT?!"

The librarian glared at Gar. "Young man!"

"Oh c'mon lady, we're the only two here!" Gar glared back as Raven forced him back in his seat. If she knew he was going to explode she would have told him elsewhere.

The librarian looked at Raven. "Any more nonsense and I will assign you two detention. Now keep it down."

"Yes ma'am," Raven replied before turning to Gar. She resisted the urge to smack him upside the head for embarrassing her. She kept her voice low while she snapped at him. "Are you trying to get me in trouble?"

"Don't even try to turn this on me," he hissed, his voice low but furious. "Your dad is practically the devil! How could you even speak to him? Don't you remember what he did to you?"

"I do," she confessed sadly, looking away. "And I haven't forgiven him, I don't think I ever will... but he's the only family I have left. I don't know where or what my mother is doing. I haven't spoken to her since she skipped town... for all I know she could be dead."

Gar's expression softened. "Raven..."

"Look, it's not like him and I are pen pals or anything. It's only been a few months. At first I ignored the calls but... Gar, he says he's changed."

"And you believe him?"

"I don't know... maybe," she rubbed her temples. "He wants to meet me today."

He clenched his fist. "Are you gonna see him?"

"I haven't decided yet. To be honest I'm scared to go alone."

There was a moment of silence.

"If you want... I'll go with you," Gar offered. He could tell this was important to Raven, and he wanted to help her in anyway possible. Although he strongly disagreed with her having any contact with that evil man, if she went with a friend he would feel a tad better about the whole thing.

Shocked, yet touched, by his offer Raven's eyes widened. "You would do that for me?"

Gar smiled and nodded.

Raven shook her head. "No, I couldn't ask you to do that."

"But I offered," Gar placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to raise her eyes and look him in the eye. "I want to go with you. Besides, I think I'm the perfect candidate for this mission. After all, I was the one who helped you out last year. I think it's only fitting that I help you now too. It'll be like deja boo."

She placed her hand above his own before gently pulling it away from her shoulder. She smiled a small smile. "It's deja _vu_, idiot."

"I'm the idiot that got you to smile," he replied, wiggling his eyebrows and grinning.

She chuckled softly. "Okay you can come, but under one condition."

"Sure, anything."

"You have to promise me you won't tell a soul about this."

His first reaction was to reject the demand. The situation was much to important to be kept a secret. "Raven--"

"Promise me, Gar," she demanded. She tried to sound strong and intimating, but her voice came out softer than she expected, surprising them both.

Gar sighed. "I promise."

TT

The last bell of the school day ran alerting all that it was time to go. The students wasted little time in gathering their things and leaving through the front door. Currently Karen and Terra walked side by side down the hall.

"So you're absolutely positive you want to do this?" Terra asked Karen, referring to Karen's photoshoot with Donna. Donna, who loved photography, was more than willing to help Karen and agreed to let the younger girl come to her house today to take the picture. "Because, again, I was only joking when I made that suggestion."

Karen ignored that last part. "Yeah, I'm sure. I think it'll be a great gift for Mal."

"But--"

"Could you stop trying to talk me out of it. I've already made up my mind."

"Okay fine."

"Good," Karen grinned and nudged Terra with her elbow. "So do you have any plans today?"

"Well...," Terra blushed. "I was thinking about doing something with Gar. Nothing fancy, just the two of us."

"Well there's your boy now," Karen said, pointing up ahead. Gar was digging around his locker. Karen grinned and gave Terra a small push in Gar's direction. The blonde raised a brow and she responded with a thumbs up. "Go get him tiger. I gotta go meet Donna in the parking lot."

Karen took off, and Terra timidly made her way towards Gar, unsure as to why she was suddenly feeling nervous. She tapped Gar's shoulders. "Hey."

Gar turned his head towards her, shutting his locker. He grinned and pecked her on the lips. "Hey, babe. How's it going?"

"Uh, good actually," she replied as they walked side by side down the hall. She blushed and ducked her head. "So... I was wondering if maybe you wanted to do something today, just the two of us."

"Sure!" Gar quickly agreed happily, but upon remembering his promise to Raven frowned. "But I can't, at least not today."

Terra wasn't upset, after all this would give her some time to plan something more special and romantic for them, but his sudden change confused her. "Why? Do you have an acting class today?"

"No...," Gar looked away. He didn't want to lie, but he promised Raven. "I have to study tonight."

"I can help you."

"No, that's okay," he said quickly, surprising her. He continued, this time more calmly. "I would really like to study by myself this time."

She looked away, her hair covering her face before she pushed it back behind her ear. "I get it, you don't want any distractions."

"That's not it," he mentally cursed. He didn't mean to hurt her feelings.

"It's cool, I get it. You want to be alone, no big deal."

He smirked, knowing how to turn her frown upside down. Extending his hands he began to tickle her, causing her to erupt into a fit of laughter and those who passed by to stare in bewilderment. Gar ceased with the tickle attack and wrapped his arms around Terra, smiling at her.

"You're not a distraction," he said seriously, making her smile. After a pause he decided to tease her. "Okay, you are a little. Y'know, with your candy kisses and sexy body. You tempt me woman, but you're my favorite person to hang out with."

"Really?"

"Really," he kissed her gently.

She was sold. "Okay," she poked him in the chest. "But you owe me a date."

"Kiss on it?"

"I would but I don't want to tempt you," she pulled away from him. "Later."

"Dude, not fair!"

Terra giggled as she wandered off down the hall and through the front doors. Her smile widened as she thought of what she could do for her next date with Gar. She wanted to do something different from their usual dates, something more romantic. _And I have to think of something nice for Roy too_, she reminded herself.

Abruptly she stopped as her cell phone began to ring. She fished the small device out of her pocket and brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

_"What a disgusting show of affection you displayed in the hall. Really, Terra, no one wants to see you and that idiot slobber all over each other."_

_And like that my good day is over_, Terra thought in disappointment. She sighed. "What do you want now, Kitten?"

_"We need to talk face to face. It's about our arrangement."_

TT

Raven and Gar stood side by side in front of a small cafe. They stood outside for about twenty minutes while Raven sorted through her emotions. She was feeling every type of emotion there was: fear, happiness, anger, confidence... She even went through a short period of laziness to thinking logically, but it wasn't until Gar asked her if she was sure she wanted to do this that she actually moved towards the door. Upon entering the small cafe, it didn't take long for them to be spotted by Raven's father. He sat in the booth in the back and waved to them, calling out Raven's name.

Raven looked at him with wide eyes. He looked so different from when she last saw him. There was a smile on his face, his hair had a few grey hairs, and he was thinner. _Much_ thinner. Even so, he still seemed intimidating. At least to Raven he did.

Gar spoke lowly so only she could hear. "We can leave if you want. You don't have to do this."

A part of her wanted to take him up on that offer, but she couldn't leave. Not now. Not when she came so far and was this close. "I want to do this," she whispered back to him.

"Okay then," he laced his fingers through her own and squeezed. "I'm right here besides you."

Had the situation been different she would have whacked him for holding her hand, but at this moment she appreciated the warmth of his hand more than he could ever know. She squeezed back, and the two advanced towards the back booth and took their place at the table.

There was a moment of silence as Trevor Roth observed his daughter. "You look different. Your hair..."

Raven touched a strand of her short, violet locks. "Oh... yeah."

Trevor folded his hands on the table. "I didn't think you would come."

"I almost didn't," she replied back softly, looking down at her lap. She was having a tough time believing this was actually happening.

Trevor nodded in understanding, after all he couldn't blame her. A sigh escaped him before he looked at Raven and then at the boy sitting besides her. He remembered Gar as one of Raven's childhood friends, but they never seemed this close before. He jabbed his thumb in Gar's direction. "He your boyfriend now?"

The two teens blushed simultaneously and pulled their hands away from each other, looking in opposite directions. Their answer to his question was the same. "No!"

Despite the awkwardness that one question brought to the atmosphere, Raven and Trevor soon found it easy to talk to each other again while Gar remained silent. They traded stories about each others lives, and Raven learned that her father had attended anger management classes soon after leaving Jump City. In turn Raven told him all about how living with the Angers family was.

"It's a little crazy sometimes, and Ryan's crying is annoying, but it's nice. Especially Luan, she's been so kind to me."

"That's great. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself there," there was a moment of hesitation before Trevor continued. "You haven't by any chance heard from your mother, have you?"

The small smile that had been on Raven's face turned into a frown almost instantly and her eyes dropped. "No... No, I haven't."

The table fell silent after that.

"You know, Raven," Trevor hesitantly began the conversation again. "The apartment I own is large enough for two people. If you want, you could come live with me."

Gar's eyes widened and for the first time since his outburst of "no", he spoke. "But you don't live in Jump City! If Raven goes with you--"

Trevor ignored Gar and continued, his eyes focused on Raven who looked extremely stiff at the moment. "I want you to come live with me, Raven. I want the two of us to be a family again. What do you say?"

Gar waited at the edge of his seat as he awaited Raven's answer. He wanted to protest, he wanted to plead with her to reject the offer made, but he knew he couldn't. This was Raven's decision, and he had no right to try and decide for her. Even so, he prayed that she would say no.

After what seemed like forever Raven finally spoke. "I would like to go live with you... but I can't. My life is here in Jump City and I don't want to leave. You understand, right?"

There was a pause before he answered, and Raven could clearly see the anger in his countenance. He stood up abruptly. "I understand perfectly."

He left the cafe with Raven following after him, as well as Gar. Raven called out to him. "Dad! Dad, would you please wait. Look, I'm sorry that I upset you, I didn't mean to."

"No, of course you didn't. You were just being honest," he growled. "And in all honesty what you really care about is staying with that rich family and your disgusting friends."

"Don't talk about my friends that way!"

"It's better if you stay with them anyway. I don't want a gold digger under my roof!"

"Well I don't want to live with an abusive asshole anyway!"

That was the line that made him snap. He turned around enraged, his face livid as he raised up his hand. Raven's mind went blank and she froze. Suddenly she wasn't standing on the sidewalk anymore, she was back in her old house backed against a wall, waiting to be be hit.

The hit never came.

Gar saw what was coming and intervened. He threw himself in between the two family members and took the hit meant for Raven. Gar flew to the sidewalk, and his sudden fall was enough to wake Raven from her stupor. She looked at Gar and then her father, then at Gar again. She quickly went to Gar's side and helped him to his feet.

Trevor's anger dissipated and he took a step forward. "Raven, I'm--"

"Don't even bother apologizing," she snapped angrily, glaring at him as she held onto Gar. "We both know you don't mean it."

"But I do, I really do. You just got me _so _mad, I lost my temper is all. I really have changed."

She shook her head. "No, no you haven't. And you never will."

He took another step closer. "Raven--"

"Don't come near me!"

He halted his movement.

She continued. "From now on don't call me, because I don't want anything to do with you. I never want to see you, or speak to you again. I'm _done!"_

Trevor bit his lip and there was a moment in which he remained in his spot. However his shoulders soon slumped and he turned around, walking away. Raven's eyes lingered on him for a few seconds before she looked away.

TT

Raven and Gar walked side by side in silence, which they had been doing for about two hours now. Raven because she didn't feel like going home, and Gar because he didn't want her to be alone. Just when he thought the silence would never end she finally spoke.

"How's your face?"

"Kinda stings," he answered, relieved that she was finally speaking. With any luck he would be able to finally convince her to go home instead of them walking around in what felt like circles. "You think it'll bruise?"

"Probably," she stuffed her hands into her hoodie's pockets. "Thanks for coming with me and for stepping in."

"Yeah, well, it's all apart of my cool guy image," Gar joked, hoping to earn a smile or a laugh. He frowned when he received no reaction. "I'm sorry that it didn't work out. I know how much you wanted this."

"It's okay. It's better that my hopes got shot down before they climbed to high..."

He turned his head towards her. "Raven--"

"I really did want this to work out," she confessed softly, stopping in their walk and looking at the ground. Gar stopped as well. She felt tears coming to her eyes and blinked them back. "He's my dad, my family. I _wanted _it to work so bad because I wanted my family back... but I guess that's something I'll never have."

"But you already have a family, Raven."

She looked at him in surprise, confusion written all over her face.

He smiled and explained. "I'm your family. And so is Kori, Vic, Dick, Karen, and the others. We're all your family. And we all love you."

She wanted to make a sarcastic comment and playfully whack him, but instead she embraced him tightly, a few tears escaping her eyes as he embraced her back.

TT

The door opened and closed as Roy entered his house. Upon entering the house he immediately regretted it because he saw Ollie's scowling face, along with Dinah's frown, at the foot of the stairs. He turned back around, ready to leave, but a strong command from Ollie hindered him.

Turning back around he smiled at them innocently. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"That's what we'd like to ask you," Dinah said, moving forward with Ollie by her side. "You're late, _again_." She grabbed the color of his shirt. "Is this lipstick? And is that perfume I smell?"

"It's nothin', it's nothin'," he muttered, moving away from her and Ollie and to the living room. They followed as he plopped himself on couch.

"Have you been cheating on Jade? Is that why you've been coming home late?"

"Does it count as cheating when the person says 'I hate you'?" Roy joked, placing his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

Ollie jerked him forward by the color of his shirt, causing his eyes to fly open in surprise. He wanted to say something, but Ollie beat him to it. "We aren't finished talking, Roy. Dinah and I are fed up with your behavior," Ollie said furiously. "Ever since Jade left you've been staying out late, ditching work, and ever since school started back up you haven't attended once."

"And about all that you've haven't spent any time with Lian," Dinah added, equally furious.

"Look, I'm home earlier than usual today so I'll spend time with her now," Roy exasperated, standing up. Ollie's strong hand on his shoulder forced him back down. He glared. "What is it now? You've said what you wanted to say."

"What have you've been doing all this time?" Ollie inquired, his tone and expression serious.

Roy could tell he was not to be trifled with, so he put all jokes aside and told the truth. "I haven't been using any drugs if that's what you're thinking, and I haven't been drinking either. It doesn't give me a buzz," _not like heroin did_, he thought but wisely kept the comment to himself. He continued. "I've just been hanging out with a few girls is all, nothing serious."

"Did you cheat on Jade or not?" Dinah asked.

Roy lowered his gaze. Did he cheat on Jade? No. Did he want to? A little bit, yes. He had been close to going all the way and crossing that bridge, but in the end he couldn't push himself to walk that road. He still loved her, even if she did leave on a bad note and left him with no hope to cling to. He balled up his fist in anger.

"I didn't cheat on her, but could you really blame me if I did? Jade said she hates me! She couldn't have kicked me lower if she tried."

"She didn't mean it, Roy," Dinah assured him softly. "She's sick and--"

"I don't care!" he shouted abruptly, furious. He was at his limit and couldn't take no more, causing him to explode. Ironic how Jade was in this position about a week before, but he fought hard not to think about that, to think about her. "To hell with all of this and all of you!"

Roy stormed out of the living room, oblivious to the two people calling out to him, and out the front door, making sure to slam it behind him as he entered the evening air.

TT

Terra entered the restaurant she was to be meeting Kitten at and cringed upon seeing the other guest dressed professionally and in suits. She felt rather small compared to them, especially since her attire consisted of a denim jacket, jeans, graphic tee, and sneakers. She especially hated the part were she was forced to greet the host, who gave her a disapproving stare, and lead her to Kitten's table. Terra took a seat opposite of the girl dressed mostly in pink and frowned.

"Do you know it took me forever to find this place," Terra snapped. "Why on earth did you want to meet here?"

Kitten rolled her eyes before taking a sip of her water. She placed her glass down and answered Terra with a bored tone. "You have to be out of your mind if you think I was going to some greasy burger place. Besides, I doubt we'll be seeing anyone from school here."

"Whatever," Terra muttered before taking a bread stick from the basket and biting into it. She swallowed and continued. "Why is it so urgent that we speak now."

"Because I'm sick of waiting to get some information," Kitten snapped but kept a lid on her temper. She didn't want to make a scene. "What is taking so long? You must have something on them by now."

"I may have something...," Terra admitted softly, looking in the other direction.

"Well what is it? Spill! Is it about that bitch Kori?" Kitten asked excitedly, leaning forward.

"Uh... it's really not all that interesting," Terra lied, trying her hardest not to sell Kori, or any of the others, out.

"Tell me," Kitten demanded, eyes narrowed.

_Don't tell her about the picture. Don't tell her about the picture. Don't tell her about the picture_, Terra thought as she gulped. "Uh... it's um... Kori refuses to have sex with Dick, and it's totally driving him crazy."

"That's it?" Kitten asked dully, looking away. "I thought it would be something more interesting... I guess I could work with that."

_Yeah right, _Terra thought as she leaned back in her chair. She had confidence in Dick and Kori's relationship. She was positive there was nothing Kitten could do with that information. She smiled. "Well since I gave you something to work with I'll just be leaving now."

"Hold it."

"Aw crap," Terra muttered as she sat back down in her seat. "If you think we're done here, think again. We have major work to do. It's already May and I've got nothing! You need to speed things up."

"Or we could just leave Kori and the others alone. I know they're not you're favorite people, but they are nice."

"Are you kidding me," Kitten scoffed. "Don't tell me you've suddenly had a change in heart."

There was a pause of silence in which Kitten observed her partner in crime carefully. Terra looked, and felt, rather uncomfortable under Kitten's eye.

Kitten coolly smirked, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. "Oh don't tell me you actually care about them. Have you duped yourself into believing they're actually your friends?"

Terra narrowed her eyes. "They are my friends. They actually care about me, unlike you."

"I care."

"No you don't, you never did. The only thing you care about is yourself and your stupid revenage."

An old memory suddenly came to mind for Terra. She remembered back when she was a child and lived in Jump City, before her family moved and before her father was sent to prison. Back to a time when she actually believed Kitten was her friend. When they were kids she was always the one protecting Kitten from bullies. Whenever Kitten wanted a sweet snack or toy she got it for her. But what had Kitten ever done for her?

Nothing.

Never once did Kitten do something nice for her, but even so she didn't care. Having a friend was better than being alone. However the friendship was one sided. As soon as Kitten's father got a promotion Kitten moved on, saying she couldn't associate with a hoodlum rat anymore. It was at that moment she realized they had never been friends to begin with and that Kitten never cared for her at all.

"So what. The point is that I gave you money and got your loser brother an awesome job. I practically own you. You have to do what I say."

Another memory came to mind for Terra, this time it was about the day Kitten came back into her life. She was living with her brother in a horrible small apartment, and he was having trouble with a job he hated. Then all of a sudden Kitten was at her doorstep, offering her a solution to all of her problems. At first she didn't recognize her and was going to shut the door, but then Kitten reminded her who she was.

Upon learning that it was her childhood playmate from Jump City she shut the door. However consistant knocking on Kitten's part eventually convinced her to open the door and hear the girl out. Kitten made her an offer she couldn't refuse and she took it.

The only problem now was her targets weren't just targets any more. They were teenagers just like her with their own crap to deal with, and before she knew it she got emotionally attached. Especially with Gar. They were her friends now and they cared about her, and she cared about them too.

Terra looked at Kitten and was surprised she hadn't heard a word of what she said. Usually the girl was hard to ignore.

"So I'm thinking maybe you can steal something of Kori's," Kitten suggested. "I know you're good at stuff like that. We can use that to frame her and say she has been cheating on Dick. Two birds with one stone."

"No."

Kitten's face was one of confusion. "No?"

"That's what I said. No."

"Okay, maybe you don't realize that you're not in the position to say not to me. Did you forget that I can run you into the dirt?"

"I don't care," Terra replied, smiling.

Kitten nearly fell out of her chair. "Excuse me?"

"I don't care what you do to me. I'm not going to help you. I'm done."

Kitten glared at her. "You're bluffing."

"I'm not. I'm done with doing your dirty work. You can take your money back."

"Oh, and what about your brother? Did you forget about the job he has? All I have to do is tell my daddy and he'll be removed."

The smile on Terra's face fell, and Kitten smirked upon seeing this. However it didn't last long. Terra's eyes soon looked back at her with fierce determination.

"Take the job and shove it. My brother and I will figure something out," Terra stated as she stood up from the table and headed towards the exit.

Kitten quickly chased after her. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed Terra. Without her there was no plan and there would be no revenge. She exited the small restaurant and looked left and right. She spotted Terra and ran as fast as she could in her heels to catch up.

"Terra, wait! I know you need me just as much as I need you. Your life was crap before I came into it."

There was truth to Kitten's words. Terra's life had been crap before. Realizing this Terra almost stopped, but she quickly shook her head and moved forward. _The past is the past_, she thought. There was no changing her past, no matter how ugly it was, but she did have a say for her present, for her future. _And I say this deal is over_, she thought with a sigh. It felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Kitten was persistent. "If you don't help me I swear I'll ruin everything for you! I'll tell your new friends all about you."

"I'll tell them myself."

Kitten growled and stomped her feet, but after her tantrum ended she quickly resumed following after Terra. There had to be something she could do that would bring Terra back to her side. "I'll give you anything you want, just please help me bring down Kori and her friends."

Terra stopped and turned around, much to Kitten's relief, and spoke. "I don't want anything from you, because I already have everything I want. I'm the happiest I've ever been, and it's all thanks to Kori and Gar and the others," she confessed, smiling. "So you can run me into the ground if you want, I really don't care, but I'm not going to betray them."

Terra turned back around, ready to resume walking, but froze. From the corner of her eye she caught sight of something, and once she turned around she took the sight in full. Across the street embracing was Gar and Raven.

Kitten followed her line of vision. After seeing what Terra was looking at she smirked. There was a chance for her plan's survival after all.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO Trimacle, Agent of the Divine One, Emily Snow12, BerryDrops, cookiegurl15, sparklebluelemon, TeenTitansFreakFan, clarkLover1, Romancelover1321, chicagobabe, iBelieveInAngels, Little Miss Juliet, RoseXxxXThorn, Errant Wrath, mythica magic, AND tennisgal456 FOR THE INCREDIBLE REVIEWS. YOU'RE ALL THE GREATEST. I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

**WHEN I WAS WRITING THIS CHAPTER I REALIZED I NEVER GAVE RAVEN'S FATHER A NAME. SO Trigion IS NOW KNOWN AS Trevor Roth. WELL AT LEAST IN MY STORY HE IS.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: WILL TERRA HAVE CHANGE OF HEART AND HELP KITTEN AFTER ALL? ALSO, ROY RUNS INTO SOME TROUBLE, BUT HE'S NOT THE ONLY ONE. WHICH CHARACTER'S LIFE IS ON THE LINE?**

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	50. The take over, the break's over part 2

Terra was unable to move as she looked at the scene in front of her with wide eyes. Kitten could tell she was in a state of shock and used this moment to her advantage. She quickly took hold of Terra's hand and pulled her in the opposite direction, heading back towards the restaurant where her car was parked. Terra's mind was stuck in a stupor so she was barely able to register the fact that Kitten was pulling her along until they reached the restaurant.

"Let's get you out of here," Kitten said softly as she opened the front passenger side door. Terra nodded dully and climbed in. Kitten shut the door afterwards with a smirk and proceeded to the driver's side.

The car ride was silent, and the evening sky grew darker and darker with each passing second, not that Terra noticed. Her mind was elsewhere, consumed with questions she couldn't answer.

Why was Gar with Raven? He told her that he didn't have time to hang out today, that he had to study. He rejected her. And for what, to spend time with Raven? Why were they together and holding each other so closely?

Terra placed a hand over her chest, above her heart. Seeing the two of them together had been a shock and for a moment it felt as if she couldn't breath, as if the world around her had collapsed and she was swallowed whole. The feeling she was experiencing now hurt. A lot. was this the feeling of a broken heart? If it was, was it supposed to hurt this much?

She leaned her head back, squeezing her eyes shut. Peraps she was misunderstanding things. Gar would never cheat on her... Right? Even so, Raven wouldn't go along with it. Raven was her friend... Right? So the two had gotten off on the wrong foot and Raven seemed extra protective of Gar, that didn't mean anything. They had resolved things and it was in Raven's nature to be protective. The two of them would never hurt her... Right?

She closed her eyes tighter and clenched her fist in her hair, shaking her head. Why didn't she confront them? It wasn't in her nature to just let something like that slide past without exchanging a few words first.

Eventually her hands unclenched and fell onto her lap, her eyes slowly opening halfway. She knew why she didn't confront them. It was because it was _them. _Raven and Gar. Two people whom she had come to care for and trust with every fiber of her being. Since it was them she lost control of her body and practically melted into a puddle. A puddle that was stomped on...

As the car ride continued a few tears escaped Terra's eyes until she eventually began to sob. Normally she wasn't one to cry over boys, but this wasn't just any boy. This was Gar, the first boy she had ever fallen in love with. And for some reason he felt the need to ditch her, lie to her, and sneak off with Raven.

The car came to a complete stop and Terra wiped her eyes. Once the blurry vision cleared she was able to view the scenery outside and realized that Kitten had driven her to her apartment building. She turned to the girl besides her. "You me home... why--"

"It's the least I could do after you caught your boyfriend cheating on you with your friend," Kitten cut in, suppressing the urge to grin.

Terra looked away. "I don't know if he was cheating..."

"Oh come on, Terra. He's a guy, all guys cheat. Just look at your friend Vic," she tapped her chin. "Hm, I wonder if Gar picked up tips from him."

"Gar's not like that! And Raven would never--"

"Never betray you?" Kitten inquired, grinning. Terra was vulnerable, making her easy prey for manipulation. All she had to do was play her cards right. "Because she's your friend, right?"

Terra looked uneasy. "Yeah..."

"That's funny, because up until a little while ago you were all for betraying her, regardless of the fact that she's your friend."

"That's different! If it wasn't for certain circumstances--"

"I'm sure Gar and Raven had 'certain circumstances' for being together," Kitten smiled and snapped her fingers. "Perhaps they've fallen in love with each other! Oh, maybe they have been having an affair behind your back. They could be doing it right now--"

"Shut up!"

Kitten took pleasure in Terra's reaction, as well as her pitiful expression. "What's wrong, Terra, did I hit a nerve?"

Terra, trying to be tough, narrowed her eyes. "Stop it."

"Stop what? I'm just being realistic, and realism says that your boyfriend is a big cheat, and your friends aren't your friends at all."

"Open the door," Terra demanded, unbuckling her seat belt. She could feel herself being dragged into dangerous territory, and she felt like a weak animal about to be picked off. "I want to get out."

"I'll unlock the door if you answer me this," Kitten said. "Today, did Gar say he was busy, by any chance?"

She glared at the girl in pink. "What's it to you?"

"Hey, I'm just trying to figure out what's going on," Kitten replied in a nonchalant tone. "You looked so surprised when you saw Gar's hands all over Raven."

"He didn't--"

"I'm thinking he told you he was busy today, and that he didn't have time for you today. Let me guess, he said he was grounded? Oh wait, he said he had to study didn't he? Or maybe that some relatives were in town," she shrugged. "Point is he lied. Now why would he do that if he didn't have something to hide?"

There was a moment of silence as Terra absorbed Kitten's words, and suddenly the evil witch was starting to make a lot of sense.

Kitten glanced at Terra's contemplating face and grinned. Terra was caught in her web. She unlocked the car doors. "Ride's over. Get out."

Terra was taken off guard by her words but waisted little time in exiting the vechile. She shut the door behind her, ready to move forward, but stopped upon hearing Kitten's voice.

"Terra!"

Somehow unable to ignore the girl in pink, Terra turned around and lowered her head to the open window, locking eyes with Kitten.

"Trust me when I say Gar, Raven, Kori, and the others are no good. They are scum and are only out for themselves. They can never truly be your friends."

Terra lowered her gaze. Why was it that Kitten sounded so right?

"They tricked you, Terra. They don't really care about you. Especially Gar."

Terra's hair fell into her face and her lips fell into a frown, her eyes shutting.

Kitten smirked. Now was the time to deliver the final blow. "You can make him pay, Terra. You can make them all pay. You know what to do."

Terra's hands clenched at her sides.

"Don't be a stranger," Kitten said before speeding off quickly into the night.

Terra's blue eyes lingered on her vehicle until it vanished from sight. Once she couldn't see it anymore she turned towards her building and headed inside. It wasn't long until she was opening the door to her apartment and stepping inside. Her apartment wasn't extravagant, but it was a decent size and much better than the place she last lived in. Stepping into the living room she found her brother sitting on the couch, cross word puzzle book in hand.

She chuckled softly to herself and thought, _he's such a nerd sometimes. _"Hey, Brion."

Brion was a well built man with soft, light brown eyes and light brown hair. He welcomed Terra with a gentle smile. "Hey kiddo...," he frowned open seeing her eyes. It was clear she had been crying. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," she answered as she plopped down besides him and grabbed one of her Archie comics off the table, flipping through the pages absently. "I had a little dispute with a friend of mines..."

"Was it Gar? Do I need to crack some bones?"

"No. I'm a big girl and I'm going to handle this myself," she reached for the can of beer resting on the table and was glad to realize it wasn't empty. Before she could take a sip Brion stopped her and took it away. "Hey, I was gonna drink that."

"Not under my roof. I'm not mom, you can't do whatever you want. And besides," he flicked her forehead. "That's _my _beer."

"Fine! I'll get my beer."

"Do and I'll sit on you."

The two glared at each other but it didn't take long for them to burst into a fit of laughter.

Brion ruffled her hair. "Alright kiddo, enough fooling around. I'm sure you have plenty of homework to do."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Terra groaned as she covered her eyes, sinking into the couch.

"You get started on that and I'll whip up some grub," he said as he stood up. "Mac and cheese okay?"

She stood up as well, though reluctantly. As she began to make her way to her room she answered him. "Yeah."

"If you need help with your homework let me know."

"Okay," she called back, opening the door to her room. She paused suddenly. "Brion?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too," there was a pause. "You didn't just say that so I'd do your homework for you, did you?"

She giggled before entering her room. "No!"

Terra shut the door behind her and pulled out her pack of cigarettes. She needed a smoke, and bad. Before lighting her blunt she opened the window, a cool breeze hitting her face as she did so. She took a long drag and exhaled, blowing the smoke out the window. If Brion caught her now she would be in so much trouble, thank goodness she had her own room, it was a very nice perk. A frown came to her face as she recalled a time when she didn't have her own room, but she pushed the memory away.

Looking down at her carton of cigarettes she realized the box was more than half full. Ever since her talk with Dick at the wedding she had begun to cut back. He seemed so concerned for her well being that day and he seemed so genuine, but now she was having a tough time believing if he really did care about her at all. Him and the others. What if Kitten was right about them? It wouldn't be to hard to believe if they all were lying to her, after all she had lied to them, they could have easily done the same. Gar had lied to her today.

Gar... She wanted to believe in him, but how could she. Kitten, although she didn't trust her one bit, had guessed correctly that Gar had said he would be studying. Maybe he was cheating on her...

Terra angrily put out her cigarette and threw it out the window. She wouldn't allow Gar and the others to make a fool of her. Oh no. She would get even. They would pay. Besides, it's not like she needed friends anyway. She had Brion, he was the only person she needed by her side.

She plopped herself on her bed and opened Babs diary. She had planned on returning it when she called the deal off, but now she wasn't so sure she wanted the deal to be over with.

TT

"Do you ever wonder if Allison is interested in other guys?" Terra asked Vic as they walked side by side down the hall. It was still morning and there was plenty of time left before first period began.

"Well, yeah, of course I do. Allison is a great girl," Vic replied. "Sometimes I wonder what she sees in me."

"Yeah, but, do you ever think that she may be interested in someone and act upon it?" she was still hurt about last night and trying to make sense of everything. Since Vic was Gar's best friend she figured a talk with him would help straighten things out.

"I trust Allison, so I don't think she would do that to me," Vic answered as he stopped by his locker. Terra paid close attention as he spun in his combination, thinking it may be useful later on, just in case it turned out Gar really did betray her. Vic opened his locker and continued. "You know, for some reason I'm getting the impression you're not really interested in my relationship with Allison. Did something happen with Gar?"

"No, no, nothing happened," she answered quickly, though one could tell by the tone of her voice something did happen. Vic glanced at her with an unconvinced look and she sighed, lowering her eyes. "I think Gar doesn't like me anymore."

"Terra, that's crazy. Gar is crazy about you. I've never seen him this lovey dovey over a girl."

"Really?" Terra asked hopefully, heart skipping a beat and her desire for revenge taking a backseat. She would let all the hate go if it turned out he really loved her, and only her. Sure she was angry yesterday, but that had been in response to a terrible situation.

"Yes really," he replied, smiling at her. "You're definitely the girl Gar wants."

Terra sighed, a smile coming to her face. She placed a hand above her heart, and the pain that was there yesterday was gone. Kitten was wrong, she was wrong about everything. Gar really did care about her. "I'm so relieved. For a second there I thought he was into Raven."

Vic stiffened and looked worried. His voice was small. "Why would you think that?"

Terra was about to answer him, but upon seeing his change in demeanor decided to withhold her information. He knew something, and she wanted to know what. "Why do you suddenly look so freaked?"

"I-it's nothing," Vic said hastily. "Let's go to class."

He attempted to move forward but Terra blocked him. "What are you hiding? If it's something about Gar and Raven I deserve to know."

"Terra...," he rubbed the back of his neck and sighed heavily. "It's nothing really, it was before Gar even met you..."

"Vic," she growled, eyes narrowed. "What do you know?"

"Last year," he began reluctantly. "Gar had a thing for Raven, but she rejected him. He was hurt really badly, but after meeting you... He's all about you now, Terra."

Terra nodded slowly, her lips pursed. She remembered Gar telling her once that Raven had hurt him really badly, but he never went into detail about it and the subject was dropped. Now she knew why.

She knew it was silly to be upset over something like this. She knew Gar had a past that included girls that weren't her, but why did one of those girls have to be Raven? A girl he was extremely close to and the girl he was holding yesterday. She clenched her hands, her anger from before returning at a rapid pace.

Vic placed a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon little lady, we need to get to class."

Terra allowed herself to be lead to class by Vic and put on a false exterior of happiness. If it was one thing she was good at it was a poker face. However the poker face slipped when she entered the classroom and her gaze fell upon her circle of friends. What stood out the most for her was the fact that Gar was sitting next to Raven. Upon seeing this her eyes narrowed.

Vic went over to greet the others while she stood by the doorway. The others greeted him happily and Gar's eyes wandered over to her direction. Upon seeing Terra he jumped out of his seat and smiled, running up to her.

"Hey babe," he greeted, leaning in for a kiss.

"Piss off," she responded angrily, brushing past him and heading for her desk.

The others looked surprise and remained where they were.

Raven reacted differently and blocked Terra's path, her eyes filled with concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Don't talk to me," Terra replied flatly, moving past the purple haired girl and to her seat. She sat down and noticedthat Gar was looking at her. In response she gave him the middle finger.

TT

Terra's mood did not improve, in fact it seemed to get worse. Although she acted like she normally would towards Kori, Dick, Karen, Vic, Alain, Toni, Wally, Jenn, and Babs, her behavior towards Raven and Gar was either snappish and rude, or they were completely ignored. By third period Gar had given up trying to approach Terra in response to advice given to him by Dick, who believed that either Terra wanted some space or she was going through "that time of the month". Raven, however, didn't relent.

It was third period gym when Raven appoarched the blonde again. Terra was sitting on the bleachers, like most of the students, dully watching the basketball game ten students were forced to play thanks to Mr. Blood.

Raven sat down by the scowling blonde. "Hey."

No response.

Raven sighed. "I see, the silent treatment," she crossed her arms, remembering a time she would have _loved _a silent Terra, but now that the two were close she couldn't stand it. "Look, I don't know what's going on with you, or if I did something wrong, but I'm not going to stop bugging you until you talk to me."

Terra locked eyes with Raven and glared at her. "Why don't you talk with Gar. You two seem awfully cozy with each other."

Raven was left with a stunned expression on her face, unable to move or speak. It was at that moment when Mr. Blood called Terra to the court, causing the blonde girl to leave the goth's presence. Terra's departure woke Raven from her stupor and she looked at the girl's back with a worried expression.

Glancing around she spotted Gar's head of green hair and quickly went over to him. She pulled him away from Vic and Alain, earning some weird stares, and sat down besides him once they were a good distance away from everyone else.

"I think I know why Terra is made at us," she confessed before he could inquire what was up. "I think she saw us yesterday."

At first Gar was going to point out that was impossible, but then he recalled something Terra told him today during second period. She had looked him up and down and mumbled "as if you would study".

Gar slapped his forehead and groaned. "Crap..."

"It's my fault that this happened so I'll fix it," Raven assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. They locked eyes. "I'll tell Terra the truth."

"But your secret, you can't do that."

"But you and Terra--"

"I'll fix things with Terra and protect your secret," he smiled to reassure her. "I can do both."

Raven smiled softly at him. "...okay."

Their exchange did not go unnoticed. Terra, who was currently dribbling the ball and ready to pass it to her teammate, saw them from the corner of her eye. She froze, her eyes narrowing as she clenched the ball in her hands. _As if sneaking around behind my back wasn't enough, now they're flirting out in the open right in front of me_, she thought furiously.

"Pass the ball!" requested one of her teammates, irritated.

Terra turned her sights on her teammate who made the request and glared. She threw the ball at the girl with more force than necessary.

"To hell with this shit!" she yelled, storming out the gym, ignoring the calls of Mr. Blood.

Without a second thought Kori and Karen followed after her, leaving the others behind with wide eyes. Raven and Gar looked at each other.

Gar lowered his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "This might be harder than I thought..."

TT

Roy was having a bad day. After leaving home he spent a few hours driving around aimlessly before finally parking his car and falling asleep. Upon waking up in the morning he realized the stupidity of doing that, for his back was in pain. He pushed the pain aside and kept on driving, only to come up with a flat tire later. He had to pay to get his car towed and was currently stuck walking.

Roy knew he should go home, Ollie and Dinah were probably worried about him, but he decided to keep on walking. He was being stubborn, he admitted that to himself, but he didn't care. He couldn't go home, or rather he didn't want to. Home was a constant reminder of Jade and how useless he was. He had promised to save her, to help her, but in the end he gave up the task to someone else. He was a failure, and to top it off he couldn't shake the feeling that he had somehow betrayed her. No wonder why Jade hated him.

Pausing in his walk he took a moment to look at the sky.

Although lately he had been trying to distance himself from emotions, he couldn't help but feel the tug at his heart strings when he thought of Jade. Was it really possible that she hated him? It was a no brainer that he wasn't the world's best boyfriend, that title would probably go to Alain, but he still considered himself to be pretty good. He put a lot of time and effort into his relationship with Jade, he loved her almost immediately when he first met her. Sure he made mistakes, but was he so horrible that she had to _hate _him?

Now that he was thinking about everything Roy felt his depression turn into anger and frustration. Why did his relationship with Jade have to be so hard? Why couldn't she just be happy and healthy and by his side? Why couldn't she just love him?

"Dammit, why does she hate me?!" Roy shouted furiously, kicking the can by his feet, breathing heavily. He took a moment to collect himself.

His breathing returned to normal, but his temper was still high. He decided to think about things other than Jade to calm himself down. _Lian_, he thought. _I can think about Lian._

A smile came to his face as he pictured the little bundle of joy which was his daughter. Lian was the perfect little girl. Her black hair was perfect, her green eyes was perfect, and she looked so much like Jade...

Roy paused abruptly, suddenly remembering why he was avoiding Lian as of lately. It was because she reminded him of Jade, the love of his life and the person who he couldn't protect.

He continued his walk, deciding he wouldn't think about Lian anymore, after all she was in capable hands with Ollie and Dinah.

For a moment Roy was going to start thinking about the married couple to keep his mind preoccupied, but decided against it. They were a reminder of the future, and he was beginning to think his future would lack the woman he loved and he would have to be a single father.

His mind turned to his friends, but feeling of jealousy stirred within him. Alain and Toni, Wally and Jenn, Dick and Kori, Vic and Allison, Gar and Terra, Karen and Mal... They were lucky. They were all examples of a happy relationship and at the moment he wanted nothing to do with any of them. They were all reminders of something he didn't have, which is why he was avoiding them.

They only ones he could possibly stand to be around was Raven and Babs, but then again they would probably look at him with pity and act unnatural towards him in consideration of his feelings, so he chose to avoid them as well.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "Life sucks..."

Roy was so busy dwelling in his own thoughts that he was oblivious to the group of teenage boys who lurked behind him. He didn't become aware of their presence until it was to late and he was dragged deep within an alley. The iron grips on his arms loosened and he was shoved against a wall, his back coming into contact with a hard brick wall.

He glared at the ones who dragged him into this narrow area. It was three boys who appeared to be about his age. The one on the left was on the scrawny side, the one on the right was a bit on the heavy side, and the one in the middle was the same build as him.

The one in the middle, the one Roy presumed to be the leader, spoke. "Alright loser, we want the watch and whatever cash you have.

A crooked grin spread across Roy's face. "What if I refuse?"

"Then we pound your face in."

There was a pause and the three boys were sure Roy would succumb to their demands. Their grins were replaced with looks of confusion when Roy began to laugh.

"You know what...," Roy began as he stopped laughing, eyeing the three boys with a murderous glare. "I've been in a shitty mood lately, so it's gonna feel real good to release some of this anger I've got pent up inside me on you idiots."

"You're the idiot!" the scrawny one countered, lunging towards Roy with a fist ready to strike.

Roy moved quickly, dodging the punch and landing a swift kick to the boy's stomach. He then slammed both of his fist into the boy's back, causing him to fall to the floor.

Roy eyed the others, who backed up, and smiked. "Who's next?"

TT

Moments later Roy emerged from the alley. He was a little roughed up, but nothing serious. He sighed and smiled, continuing on his way. "That felt good."

TT

Terra held a large brown envelope in her hands, about the size of a sheet of crisp white printing paper. She had recently left Donna's home and was currently holding Karen's 'naughty' photo. Karen was unable to pick up the photo herself because she had to work, she needed to make up hours for her time spent away during spring break.

At first Terra had refused the task for she was far to upset and just wanted to return home, but Karen was relentless when it came to begging. She remembered her words clearly...

"Please, Terra. Besides Donna you're the only one who knows about this. You're the only one who can help me."

After that Terra couldn't refuse, and now currently she was on her way to Karen's job to drop off the photo. She wasn't far off from Karen's job, so she would be there in no time, just in time for Karen's fifteen minute break.

She continued with her walk, but paused abruptly when she came across a small book store. A book store with a copy machine...

Terra wasted little time and entered the store.

TT

Alain frantically searched the streets of Jump City, calling out Roy's name and stopping strangers to ask if they had seen him. After leaving school Ollie had contacted him to inquire whether or not he had seen or spoken to Roy. After confirming Ollie he had done neither, he asked the older man about Roy and was shocked to learn Roy never returned home last night and was no where to be found. It was then that Alain took it upon himself to search for Roy. He even got a few of the others to join in.

So far his search had come up empty, but Alain was determined not to quit. Roy was his best friend, it was his duty to look out for him. He had to find him before something terrible happened.

It was then that he came across three teenage boys which appeared to be his age. He cringed when he noticed the cuts and bruises that adorned them. _They must have been in a fight or something,_he thought as he slowly approached them, hoping that maybe they had seen Roy.

"Uh, excuse me," Alain greeted hestitantly, gathering the three boys attention who eyed him curiously. "I was wondering if you've seen my friend. He's about this tall." Alain measured Roy's height with his hand. "Has short orange hair and blue eyes. Have you seen anyone that look like that?"

The boys remained silent and looked at each other. After a pause they nodded.

The one in the middle, who's build was about the same as Alain's, spoke with cool tone of voice. "Yeah, we've seen your friend. He's in this alley right here," the boy pointed towards the alley. "He got drunk and passed out in there."

"He did what?" Alain didn't even wait for the answer to his own question and hurried into the alley, looking side to side in hopes of seeing Roy. Besides the trash that littered the floor the alley was empty. "Roy? R--"

Alain's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat. He felt a burning sensation of pain in his lower back and his legs began to tremble.

"If you live to see your friend," the boy from before said, an evil smirk on his face. "Then tell him this is payback for earlier."

The boy then removed his pocket knife from Alain's body, pushing him to the ground before running off with his snickering friends.

Alain remained unmoving, struggling to breath as immense pain overtook his body. His blood continued to flow with no signs of stopping anytime soon.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO XxGraysonGirlxX, Agent of the Divine One, iBelieveInAngels, sparklebluelemon, StarReader86, Som1's Lost Soul, TeenTitansFreakFan, Emily Snow12, cookiegurl15, coolcari, BerryDrops, Little Miss Juliet, cookiesruletheworld, Romancelover1321, Daniella TT, AND clarkLover1 FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! I CAN'T THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH. I HOPED EVERYONE LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

**FINALLY WE REACH CHAPTER 50! I'M SO HAPPY I COULD CRY. YOU KNOW, THERE WERE DAYS WHEN I THOUGHT I'D NEVER MAKE IT THIS FAR... BUT NOW I HAVE AND I GOT A SMILE ON MY FACE! TEN CHAPTERS LEFT BEFORE THIS STORY ENDS!**

**NOW THE REAL DRAMARAMA BEGINS!**

**Brion Markov IS Geo-Force**

**NEXT CHAPTER: WILL ALAIN SURVIVE HIS STABBING? AND WHERE HAS ROY DISAPPEARED TO NOW? ALSO, TERRA MAKES A DECISION THAT WILL IMPACT EVERYONE, BUT A SUDDEN REALIZATION MAKES HER REALIZE THE WEIGHT OF HER ACTIONS. WITH TIME RUNNING OUT WHAT WILL SHE DO?**

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	51. Misery loves its company

Upon entering their house Ollie and Dinah expected to be greeted by silence. Instead they were greeted by the sound of the television emitting from the living room. They entered the living room, their eyes spotting the slasher film on screen, then the chips and cans of soda on the coffee table, and finally Roy who sat on the sofa.

Roy looked at them, a look of amusement on his face, and grinned. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"What's up?" Dinah repeated, feeling shocked and angry. She and Ollie had been searching for Roy for hours and he was home the entire time. "Where have you been? And where's the sitter we got for Lian?"

"I sent her home," Roy answered, standing up. "She wasn't cute enough to look after my child."

"You have got a lot of nerve," Dinah snapped. If it was one thing she couldn't stand it was disrespect. "We've been looking everywhere for you! Do you have any idea how worried we've been?" She turned her scowl towards Ollie, who hadn't spoken a word. "Ollie, say something."

Roy locked eyes with Ollie, bracing himself for the older man's fury he was sure to come. The yelling never came, and instead he was pulled into a tight embrace. Roy was both shocked and a little uncomfortable.

"I was so worried about you," Ollie murmured. He pulled away and locked eyes with Dinah. "Can you watch over Lian while Roy and I step out."

There was a pause of silence in which the two exchanged looks of understanding. Roy wondered what exactly was going on, but before he could inquire as to what Dinah lowered her gaze and left the living room.

"Sure thing," she replied softly before heading up the stairs.

Roy crossed his arms, feeling out of the loop. "What's going on?"

Ollie ignored the question. "Come on, we need to go."

"Go where?" Roy questioned, growing frustrated. "What are you hiding?"

Ollie opened the front door, his voice grim as he looked at the ground. "We're going to the hospital... Alain was stabbed."

TT

The car ride to the hospital wasn't a silent one. Ollie lectured Roy the entire way there.

"What if something would have happened to you, huh?" Ollie had asked him. "What would have happened to Lian? Did you even once think about her the entire time you were acting like an immature brat? I know you're hurting but dammit, Roy, you have a daughter to think about!"

Ollie went on to say he was going to be a lot stricter from now on, but Roy paid him no attention. He was to busy thinking about Alain. Not only was he consumed with worry for his friends, but he was feeling idiotic as well. He should have been looking out for his family and friends instead of only thinking about himself. _Well no more of that, _he promised himself. He was going to shape up and give the people around him the attention they deserved. Especially Lian and Alain.

"Oh God, Alain...," he murmured, running a hand through his hair. "Please be okay."

They arrived at the hospital in record speed and immediately rushed inside. Ollie, having spoke with Arthur over the phone, knew exactly were to go. Within minutes they had stepped off the elevator and onto the floor where they knew Alain's parents would be waiting. Arthur and Mera were in the waiting room, looks of devastation donned their faces, and their fingers were intertwined.

"Arthur, Mera," Ollie said as he walked over to the couple. The two saw the blonde and stood up. Ollie embraced them both. "Have you heard anything new?"

"No, he's still in surgery," Arthur replied sadly. He ran a hand through his hair. "I just don't understand why this happened. Alain has always been a good kid, a good kid who doesn't fool around or pick fights... Who would do this to him?"

The small group fell into silence, and it was at that moment Arthur and Mera noticed Roy for the first time.

Mera stepped closer to him, and it was at this moment Roy realized how drained she looked. Usually Mera was a vision of pure loveliness, she was known as "the hot mom", but now she just looked so pitiful.

"Roy," she said softly once they were face to face. "Do you know anyone who would have done this?"

"No ma'am," he answered. _But if I ever meet the asshole I'll be sure to teach him a lesson_, he thought angrily.

"Oh... okay then," she embraced him lightly. "Thank you for coming to support Alain. I know he would appreciate you and the others being here."

Roy raised a brow. "Otheres?"

"Yes, Toni and a few others were here recently, but they wandered off somewhere. Toni, that poor girl... she was so upset..."

"Excuse me ma'am, but I'm going to go locate my friends. I want to make sure they're okay."

"Yes, of course," Mera replied softly, patting his hand before letting go.

As she turned back to Arthur and Ollie, Roy took off down the hall. He was positive his friends were near, they wouldn't stray to far in a situation like this. His assumption was correct, and he soon found them in a much larger waiting room, one that included a television and two vending machines. He spotted Dick and Wally sitting close to the window and approached them. They heard his footsteps and looked up. Shocked expressions donned their faces.

"Holy shit it's Roy," Wally was by his side in an instant and he wrapped his friend in a one armed hug. "I can't believe you're here."

"It's nice to see you in one piece," Dick added, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, it's nice to see you guys too," Roy replied. He was being sincere too. He had been avoiding his friends for so long, he had no idea how much he missed them. He paused a moment to look around the waiting, and was surprised to see most of his friends were absent. He thought they would have been here. "Where is everybody?"

"They had to cut out early."

"Even Toni?"

"Nah, she went to the bathroom."

"The girl is a mess," Dick murmured. "She couldn't even hold it together enough to be around his parents, which is why we all came here."

Roy sighed. "Guys, I'm sorry I haven't been around. I promise from now on--"

"Roy."

The three boys turned their eyes towards Toni who entered the waiting room with a frown on her face. She didn't come forward, she just remained standing in her spot with her hands clenched at her sides. Her eyes were locked on Roy with an unreadable expression on her face. Roy approached her and soon they were face to face. He opened his mouth,ready to speak, but didn't get the chance to because Toni delivered a hard slap across his cheek.

"Toni!"

"The hell?"

Wally and Dick were shocked beyond belief and instantly went in between the two in fear that Toni would become violent.

"Toni, why did you hit Roy?"

"I have every reason to," Toni snapped, her eyes narrowed into a deadly glare. "He has no right to be here!"

"Alain's my friend," Roy responded. "I have every right to be here."

"No you don't!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's your fault he got stabbed!"

That took Roy for a loop. "How is it my fault?" he asked once he moved past his stupor.

"Because he was looking for _you_! He would have been home if it wasn't for _you_!"

"Toni, c'mon, be reasonable," Wally said softly, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She slapped his hand away and pointed an accusing finger at Roy. "He's the reason why Alain is fighting for his life right now! The reason why he might... he might...," she couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence and turned around, retreating down the hallway at a fast pace.

"She shouldn't be along," Wally said before following after her.

With the departure of Toni and Wally this left Dick and Roy alone. Roy allowed Toni's words to sink in and sat down, allowing wave after wave of guilt to wash over him. _She's right, _he thought, _it's all my fault. Because of me Alain got hurt. _Roy couldn't help but feel like a horrible person.

"It's not your fault," Dick said softly, taking the seat next to him.

"Yes it is," Roy replied flatly, burying his face in his hands. He felt horrible.

Dick sighed and leaned his head against the wall. "... I know how you feel."

Roy looked at him with a raised brow.

Dick continued once he saw he had Roy's attention. "I went through the same thing with Kori last year. I blamed myself for her getting shot. If I hadn't hooked up with Kitten then Fang would never have gone all crazy jealous, and Kori would have been safe... If she hadn't been with me that day, if she hadn't jumped in front of em... She would've been perfectly fine."

"Dick, it's not your fault what happened to Kori. It's not like you told Fang to pull out a gun and fire. That situation was out of your control."

"I know that now," Dick replied. "I realize now that what happened to Kori that day isn't my fault. I had no control over Fang and his actions, just like you had no control over the person who did this to Alain... and just like how you had no control over what happened to Jade. None of it's your fault, Roy, so stop blaming yourself."

There was a pause of silence.

"I'm... gonna get outta here before Toni comes back," Roy said softly, standing up. "See ya."

"See ya...," there was another pause as Dick watched his friend's retreating back. "Roy." He waited until the red head turned around to face him before continuing. "Toni said what she said out of anger. Don't take it personally."

Roy nodded slowly before turning around and exiting the waiting room.

TT

"You know, at first I thought this was a bad idea... you and me.... but now I realize, even though you haven't been my greatest friend, it's still kinda fun to hang out with you," Terra smiled and raised her can of orange soda. "Cheers."

The girl next to her tapped her can of soda against Terra's, a grin on her face. "Cheers."

Terra took a swing of her drink before placing her can of soda down. "I'm glad I'm finally doing this," she turned her head to the side. "Now where were we?"

"You finished telling me about Toni, Dick, and Roy," Kitten answered, crossing one leg over the other. "Now what else do you have for me?"

"This," Terra answered, picking up the video camera that resided on the coffee table and passing it to Kitten. "Jenn and Wally were up to no good spring break."

"Really? Well let's--"

Terra snatched the camera away and placed it back on the table. "Don't turn it on!"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to watch a sex tape," Terra snapped.

"Okay, whatever you say," Kitten replied calmly. She had to be careful around Terra, she didn't have all of the information she needed yet. "What's next?"

Terra picked up Babs diary for display. "Babs diary."

"Your sticky fingers never fail to amaze me," Kitten commented, eagerly taking the small book from her hands. She opened it and flipped through a few pages.

"I labeled the pages you should pay close attention to," Terra said, pushing her long hair behind her ears. "This girl is such a freak. She's been trying to get her hands on Dick since day one."

"That slut," Kitten muttered angrily, snapping the book close.

"If anyone is a slut it's Kori," Terra pointed out, handing her a photo. "Take a look at this."

Kitten did as she was told and looked at the photo. Once she saw what it was she gasped and her eyes widened. "No fucking way... I always knew something was going on between her and Xavier! Just friends my ass."

"And she's not the only one with a naughty photo," Terra pointed out, handing Kitten a much larger photo. "Karen's no better."

Kitten took one glance before setting the picture down and smirking. She clapped her hands in anticipation. "What's next?"

"Uh...," Terra looked away and shifted awkwardly. "That's it."

"Huh?" Kitten shook her head of any confusion and glared at her partner in crime. "That can't be it. You haven't given me anything on Vic, Raven, Gar, or Alain. What about them? We have to destroy them to. Remember how horrible they are you, _especially _Raven and Gar."

Terra's eyes narrowed at the mention of the goth and vegan and she crossed her arms hotly. "I have Vic covered. I got his locker combination and a guy willing to do anything for a quick buck."

"Hm, I like the sound of that," Kitten smiled in approval but immediately frowned afterwards. "But what about Raven, Gar, and Alain?"

"Well Alain's turning out to be a problem," Terra answered as she kicked her feet up on the table and leaned back to relax. "He's like squeaky clean. The dude is next to perfect!" She sighed. "I'm not sure what to do about him, or Raven for that matter. I mean we just started to connect but... after seeing her hanging around Gar I can't stand to be around her. I want to snap her neck!"

Kitten watched at Terra's hands clenched and her face twisted into a scowl. She snapped her fingers to regain the girl's attention. "What about Gar? Do you have a plan for him?"

"I do actually," Terra replied, grinning evilly as she punched her fist into the palm of her hand. "I'm going to break his heart."

"How?"

"By telling him everything. He'll be devastated," she smiled, delighted. "He may even cry."

Kitten laughed and Terra joined her. "That's something I would like to see," her laughter gradually ceased and she eyed Terra with a smirk. "I'm glad you finally came to your senses, and believe me, it is going to feel _so good _when we finally take those idiots down and make them pay for all the crap they've done to us," she tapped Terra's knee. "You should be proud of yourself."

"Yeah...," Terra murmured, looking away. _Why don't I feel proud? _she thought. _This is what I wanted... right?_

"Well I have to be going," Kitten announced as she gathered up the two photos, the diary, and the camera and stuffed it into her large black purse. "Your brother may be working late, but my mom and dad are home and lately they have been nag--"

A knock was heard and the two girls froze.

"Are you expecting someone?" Kitten asked Terra quietly, looking worried.

"No," Terra replied, slightly panicked. What if Gar was on the other side of that door? "Go hide in the back."

With a frown (Kitten didn't like to be bossed around) the girl in pink quickly retreated into the hall and into a random door. Terra watched and then headed off to answer the door. She looked through the peek-hole and discovered that it was not Gar, but rather the other person who she was _extremely _angry at.

She opened the door and glared at the girl in front of her. "What do you want?"

Raven was unfazed by her anger. "Can I come in? It's important."

Terra bit her lip, unsure of how to answer. She didn't want to come off as suspicious by turning the girl away, and she did need information on Raven. Perhaps she could worm it out now... With great reluctance she stepped to the side and allowed Raven inside before shutting the door close.

"So what's so important?" Terra inquired indifferently, her eyes locking with Raven.

"Alain was stabbed."

Terra felt a tug of genuine concern pulling at her heart, one that surprised her. She was done caring about these people, wasn't she? Even so she couldn't stop herself about inquiring about Alain's condition once her shock passed over. "Is he okay?"

"I'm not sure," Raven answered. "When I left the hospital he was still in surgery."

Terra grew weak at the knees and chose to sit down. "Oh my God...," she looked at Raven. "Do they know who did it?"

"No, but the police are looking into it," Raven told her. "We tried contacting you but got no answer."

Terra looked away with a guilty expression. She had turned her phone off so she wouldn't be interrupted while with Kitten. That, and because she didn't want to deal with anyone.

"Terra, I know what's going on."

Terra looked at Raven in pure horror. There was no way she could know about her deal with Kitten. She was always careful.

Raven explained. "I know that you saw me with Gar yesterday."

A mental sigh of relief escaped Terra and she spoke after a long pause. "I did see you two together. I wanted to be with him that night, but he told me he had to study... But in actuality he was with you."

"I know it looks bad, but you've got it all wrong."

"Raven, not now. Not when Alain is--"

"No, it has to be now. I can't stand the fact that you're mad at me and Gar. Just give me a chance to explain."

"Explain what?! That you were fooling around with _my _boyfriend!"

"We weren't fooling around! Gar came with me to see my father!"

Her sudden confession took Terra for a loop and the blonde pursed her lips. She had never heard Raven mention her father before.

"Look... Last year my father beat me. My mom had just skipped town and he was getting drunk a lot, and he hit me... a lot... and I took it and kept it all to myself," Raven took a deep breath to calm herself down, but it did little to help. She continued. "Gar eventually found out what was going on and helped remove me from the situation."

"I'm sorry," Terra said softly as she gazed upon Raven with sad eyes. Her apology was a sincere one.

Raven took that as a sign that it was okay for her to sit besides the blonde, and so she did before continuing. "Even though I was royally pissed off at my father I eventually got back in contact with him. Stupid, I know, but I wanted us to try to work things out, so we decided to meet. The only problem was that I was to scared to go alone, so Gar volunteered to go with me. I made him promise not to tell because I didn't want anyone to know, which is why he deceived you."

"Oh shit...," Terra covered her face in her hands. "I've been such a bitch."

"Can't argue with that," Raven joked, smiling a small smile.

"Raven, I am sorry," Terra said, locking eyes with the purple haired girl. "If I knew--"

"Don't worry about it, it's cool," Raven cut in. "I'm just glad we had a chance to settle things."

"Me too," Terra replied softly, smiling. She embraced Raven for a quick moment before pulling away. "So now that I know, is it okay if I ask you about your dad? Did you work things out with him?"

Raven lowered her gaze. "No... As it turns out he's still an abusive jerk."

"I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be, he's a prick anyway."

Terra looked at Raven with a blank expression, unsure of how to respond.

Raven frowned. "You were supposed to laugh."

"Oh," Terra chuckled pitifully, causing Raven to groan and roll her eyes.

"Well, as much fun as this is I have to go. My ride is waiting downstairs," Raven announced, referring to Vic. She stood up from her seat. "I just wanted to let you know what happened and to clear things up."

"Let me walk you to the door," Terra said, jumping up immediately. She escorted Raven to the door and opened it. "I really am sorry about being a bitch to you and Gar, and about your dad."

"It's okay," Raven assured her, stepping out. "I'll see you later. And keep your phone on that way we can call you when we get news on Alain."

Terra. "Bye, Raven."

"Bye," the goth girl responded as she headed for the elevator.

Terra shut the door close and leaned against it, breathing a sigh of relief as she shut her eyes and smiled. Her entire body filled with joy at the fact that Gar wasn't cheating on her. It was all just a misunderstanding, he didn't betray her after all. Now that Raven had cleared things up she and Gar could go back to normal and...

Terra froze when her eyes landed on Kitten, who she had forgotten was hiding, and the blood drained from her face.

"Well, well, well," Kitten began as she stepped closer to Terra, grinning madly. "No wonder why she's always so cranky... Sucks about Alain. Guess that means he won't be apart of my revenge scheme, but whatever, he's hurt so it's all good." She clapped her hands together. "Oh, I've decided to do everything on Monday now that we have everything we need."

Terra couldn't bring herself to say anything. Her mind kept rolling around the fact that she had sold her friendship down the drain due to her misguided anger. She had just ruined one of the few good things in her life.

"It's getting late," Kitten commented before walking past Terra and seeing her way out. "Toodles."

The door shut behind Kitten's departure and Terra crumpled to the floor, her hands balling into fist. "What have I done..."

TT

It was around midnight when a call was sent out to those closest to Alain. Much to everyones delight it was good news. Alain had survived his surgery and was expected to make a full recovery. Having learned this the others immediately decide to go visit him as soon as it was visiting hours.

When they arrived at the hospital in the afternoon they came bearing gifts for their injured friend. Balloons, an oversized get well card, candy, and even a stuff animal, which was given to Alain by Kori. By the time everyone had settled down and small talk had begun, Alain began to nod off. It wasn't long until he was fast asleep, courtesy of the painkillers, and the others were left waiting for him to wake up again.

When nearly one hour passed and Alain still didn't wake from his slumber, the others decided to take their leave. Toni decided to remain and bid farewell to the others before picking up a fashion magazine she brought with her. She began to read and eventually began to doze off herself, but just when she was about to slip into unconsciousness someone shook her shoulder, causing her to jolt up into alertness.

She turned her head to see who it was that prevented her from sleeping, hoping that it was Alain, and was disappointed to see that it was not. The person who woke her was Roy.

Toni waisted little time in glaring at the orange top boy. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Alain," he answered simply.

"Why? Do you want to cause even more damage?"

Roy remained placid and spoke in an even tone. "What happened to Alain wasn't my fault."

She crossed her arms hotly. "Say whatever you need to say to make yourself feel better, but you are to blame and I want you gone."

"I've been his best friend since we were kids," Roy protested. "I deserve to be here."

"Yeah, well I'm his girlfriend and I say you need to leave!"

"That's not fair!"

"Quite frankly I don't give a shit," she snapped, glaring daggers at him. "I don't want you around him anymore, and if you try to fight me on this I _will _make you regret it."

They stared each other down and after a tension filled moment of silence Roy backed down with a sigh. He turned to leave but paused at the doorway. He glanced back at Toni.

"You can't cut me out of his life," he stated softly before leaving, frustrating Toni beyond belief.

TT

Having separated from Kori and the others, Gar and Terra walked side by side alone in silence. They had spoken with each other just moments before. Terra had apologized for her behavior and told him about her chat with Raven and he had forgiven her. He then apologized for deceiving her, and she forgave him. After that the two continued their walk with pursed lips and were left contemplating things in their own minds. Gar thought about nothing in particular, but with each passing second Terra's thoughts began to make her shoulders feel heavy.

She kept thinking about her deal with Kitten, and cursed herself for giving that witch what she wanted just because she was angry. It was to late to do anything about it now... meaning that soon Kitten's plan would take full effect. Terra glanced at Gar with a sad expression. Once the plan was in full effect he would find out about her part in it, and there was no doubt in her mind that he would hate her for it. That meant their time together was limited...

She had to make the most of it.

"Hey, Gar," she began slowly. "Tomorrow's Sunday... I was hoping we could do something together, just the two of us."

He beamed at her. "Sure thing, Terra."

"I want us to spend the whole day together," she requested firmly, looking at him with a serious expression as she halted in their walk. "I want us to share the morning, the afternoon, and the night... _together_."

"If that's what you want then okay. Tomorrow we spend the whole day together," he smiled just for her. "Just the two of us."

She embraced him tightly, causing him to blush, and buried her face into his shoulder before murmuring her thanks.

TT

Terra checked her appearance in the mirror and couldn't help but fidget over minor details. She wanted to look absolutely perfect for what may very well be her last date with Gar. A look of depression came to her face at the thought, but she quickly put on a face of determination. If this was her last date with Gar she was going to enjoy it.

The doorbell rang and echoed to her ears. Terra immediately bolted from her bathroom to the front door and opened it, a wide smile coming to her face.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," Gar replied back, smiling ear to ear. "Ready to go?"

She nodded and he extended his hand. She hesitated a moment before slipping her hand in his own and holding it firmly, enjoying the warmth. Today she would push all thoughts aside and focus on the boy she loved...

Gar and Terra headed for the elevator hand in hand, his voice filling the empty hall. "I was thinking we could get some breakfast."

"Sounds awesome."

TT

Gar and Terra went to a local diner for breakfast, and while they waited for their food they made a game plan of what they wanted to do today.

"The sky's the limit," Gar told Terra as the waiter arrived with their order. "We can do whatever. So what do you want to do?"

She adored the fact that he valued her opinion and smiled at him. "I want to... go to the arcade."

He rubbed his hands together, licking his lips as he eyed his food in pure hunger. "Arcade it is then! After breakfast."

"Of course," she said, giggling.

TT

While at the arcade Terra and Gar played every game there was to play. They set high scores and won a bag full of prizes, making the much younger game players green with envy as well as irritated. They spend hours there until finally moving onto their next location; the movie theater. It was there that they met a predicament, neither knew what film to watch. It was between a romantic comedy and horror.

Terra wanted to watch the romantic comedy, saying they needed a change of pace from their usual genre, but Gar was reluctant. He wanted something thrilling and frightening, not something sappy. Their dispute was holding up the line, and the people behind them were growing impatient.

It wasn't until one impatient man shouted at them to see both films that the lined finally moved, much to the delight of the people behind them, though they did have to flip a coin to decide on which film would be viewed first.

After seeing both movies the two agreed to go out for lunch. This time their was no dispute, because both wanted the same thing. Pizza.

TT

After lunch Gar and Terra ventured to one of their favorite places in Jump City, the park. Their time passed by without a care in the world there. As they walked hand in hand with Terra leaning her head against Gar's shoulder, they felt like the only two people in the world.

They spent most of their time walking together with Gar telling an occasional joke, all of which made Terra laugh, but they did other things too. They went to the jungle gym, the swings, fed the birds, and even played catch with a ball Terra won at the arcade. Eventually they found themselves by the park's lake skipping rocks, something Terra excelled at and Gar did not. He eventually got the hang of it, courtesy of Terra teaching him how, but was still struggling.

Terra giggled. "You throw like a girl!"

He responded by sticking his tongue out.

She blinked in surprise, and made a funny face at him.

He did the same, only better. It went back and forth like this until Gar made a face so funny that Terra burst into laughter.

He threw an arm around her shoulders and lead her away from the lake. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

"Where do you want to go next?" she asked as she wrapped an arm around his waist.

"How about the amusement park?"

"Sounds nice."

TT

While at the amusement park Gar and Terra went on as many rides as they could. They went to the haunted house, which scared Gar to the point that he passed out, and the house of mirrors, which frustrated Terra since she kept bumping into the wall. They went on everything from the jaw dropping roller coaster to the bumper cars, but the ride that they enjoyed the most was the ferris wheel where they shared a kiss.

Not only did they go on the rides but the played many of the games as well. Gar didn't have much luck in that department, but Terra did. She managed to knock down all the bottles and win a prize, a giant green gorilla which she gave to Gar. He won her a prize as well, a small pink teddy bear. Terra loved it because he won it for her.

They spent a lot of time at the amusement park, but as it got later and later the two decided to depart to get some dinner. They found a small, inexpensive restaurant in which to dine and were seated by the window. By this time they realized they were running low on cash and so they decided to split a plate of pasta as well as dessert.

"This has been the best day of my life," Terra said before taking a bite of the blue berry pie.

"Mines too," Gar confessed, gazing at her with loving eyes.

"I don't want it to end," she commented, smiling happily. She could spend a lifetime eating nothing but pie and she would be happy.

There was a pause of silence as Gar continued to watch her dig her spoon in the delicious dessert. He didn't want this day to end. He wanted to hold onto her for a little while longer.

"Don't you want any?" Terra asked him, her mouth full. She swallowed before continuing. "Earth to, Gar! If you don't act now I'll finish this tasty threat by myself."

"... it doesn't have to," he murmured softly.

She blinked at him in confusion. "Huh?"

"This night, it doesn't have to end," he took her hand in his own, a serious expression on his face. "Rita and Steve are out of town so I have the house all to myself. Stay with me tonight."

She gulped due to the intensity in his eyes and the seriousness in his tone. He seemed so attractive... She could have melted right then and there because of him.

"... Okay," she replied, her voice small.

Gar waisted little time and called for the check.

It didn't take them long to exit the restaurant after that, but there was a certain matter that need to be cleared up before they could leave. Terra stepped away from Gar and called her brother, making up an excuse to him saying that she would be spending the night at Kori's house. There was a long pause but Brion relented and gave her permission. She smiled in happiness and went over to Gar's side just in time to see an older woman walking away from him with a basket in her hands. Gar turned around and smiled at her.

He handed her a rose. "For you."

She took it gratefully. "Thanks."

"You ready to go?"

A blush came to her cheeks as she answered him. "Yeah."

TT

Terra entered Gar's house timidly, clutching the bear he won her to her chest and the rose he got her in her hand. She was a frequent visitor to Gar's house, often spending time with him in the basement or in his backyard, and occasionally in his room. During those times either Rita or Steve or both were home. This was the first time she was lone with him in his house. The thought both excited and scared her.

"Do you want something to eat, or something to drink?" Gar asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Oh, um... No. No thank you," she answered.

"Alright," he looked down at his shoes, thinking of a way to break the ice between them. He looked up at her when an idea came to mind. "Wanna go to my room? I have this wicked new video game we can play."

She almost laughed at his adorable innocence. He wanted her to go to his _room _to play _video games._ She briefly wondered if the other thing they could do in his room crossed his mind.

"If you don't wanna it's cool. We can hang out here," he said after a long pause of silence passed in which he waited for her response.

She snapped her attention towards him. "Let's go to your room."

Gar consented and the two went up to his room. Upon entering Terra noticed that his room was somewhat tidy. It looked cleaner than the last time she was here, but it wasn't spotless. Her eyes wandered over to Gar who was already setting up the game system and frowned.

Although she didn't want to think about it, the thought of this being their last night came to mind. If this really was her last night with him she didn't want to spend it playing video games.

She went over to him and placed her hand over his. She then removed the game controller from his hand and set it down besides the television. "Did you really invite me here just to play video games?"

He remained silent for two reasons, one being that he didn't know the answer himself, and two being he wasn't sure if that was a trick question.

Terra didn't wait any longer for an answer and took action. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her body closer to him. They locked eyes. "There is something else we can do to pass the time...," she murmured softly before kissing him fully on the lips.

He eagerly responded to the kiss and pulled her closer while she rested her hands above his cheeks. As the kiss got stronger and more intense, Terra felt his hands get lower and lower, traveling at a slow and timid pace. She broke away from the kiss and pulled him towards the bed and sat down, pulling him down besides her before continuing their kiss. She yanked off her vest and proceeded to pull of his button shirt that he layered over his graphic tee. It was at this moment he began to talk to her, saying sweet things. He told her how beautiful he thought she was, how much she meant to him, and finally...

"I love you, Terra," he murmured, leaning in to kiss her again.

She backed away and immediately stood up.

He was surprised and looked at her with wide, confused eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," she replied, crossing her arms and looking at the floor. "It's just... it doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean?"

She looked at him with sad eyes. "How can you love me when you don't even know who I am?"

"What are you talking about? You're Terra Markov, my girlfriend, of course I know you," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She sat down besides him, though kept her distance, and locked eyes with him. "There are things about me you don't know. Things that if you knew you would hate me."

The seriousness in her tone both frightened and worried him. "What are you talking about?"

She opened her mouth, but closed it and looked away. There was a pause of silence until he heard her voice again. "My past."

_Come to think of it, I don't know much about Terra's past_, Gar thought. _Then again she doesn't know my life story either. _"Terra, I don't need to know about your past to know that I love you. You're entitled to have secrets, and I respect that."

"I smoke," she said abruptly.

He nearly fell off the bed. "You what?!"

"I smoke," she repeated, feeling pleasure from her honesty yet scared at the same time. "I smoke all the time! Though I have stopped a little bit recently."

His brow raised. "Huh. Guess that explains the smell. I always thought it was perfume."

"I don't like perfume."

"I know, but I figured you picked a bad one to wear," he gazed at her. "I don't mind if you smoke. It doesn't change how I feel about you."

"If you know about the other things I've done it would."

He was beginning to grow frustrated in her lack of faith. "Terra, I mean it when I say I love you! What do I have to do to prove that to you?!"

"... Listen," she replied simply in a small voice. "Just listen to what I have to say."

"Terra--"

"I want you to know about my past before we take another step forward," she took his hands in her own. "So please just listen."

"... Okay," he agreed softly, squeezing her hands. "I'll listen."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before speaking.

"When I was little I lived in Jump City with my mother, father, and brother. We lived in a crappy one room apartment. I had to share the one room with my brother, I actually had to share a lot of things with my brother, maybe that's why I'm such a tomboy... Anyways, my mom and dad slept in the living room on this couch with a bed in it. We didn't have much money so I often stole a lot, I even picked pockets," she laughed even though what she said wasn't funny. "I remember this one time I stole a pair of goggles because my brother promised to teach me how to swim... He never get the chance to teach me though because my father got sent to prison around the time he was supposed to.

"I was coming home the day it happened, the day they took my father away... I saw the cops in front of the building and was scared shitless because I thought they came for me. I remember hiding behind this big ugly tree because I didn't want them to see me, then suddenly I saw them taking my dad away... That was the last time I ever saw him."

"Why'd he go to prison?" Gar asked out of curiosity.

Terra sighed and brought her knees to her chest, her eyes facing the wall. "I don't know, my mom never told me."

"Do you miss him?"

"Not really. I never got along with my parents," she paused before continuing. "With my dad gone my mom decided to leave Jump City. That's when things got complicated. She couldn't afford to keep both me and Brion, so she needed to pick one of us to go to my aunt and uncle's place in Wisconsin. She picked Brion.

"I remember the day my aunt and uncle came to pick up Brion and take him. I made such a fuss because I didn't want them to take him from me, he was my whole world and they were taking him from me. When they got in the car and drove off I just _ran _after it, _crying _the whole time, especially when I tripped and fell.

"I was so angry at my mom after that. I didn't speak to her for a week. When I finally spoke to her we had already moved into our new place with one of her old high school buddies, who was trampy as hell, and I said to her 'I don't want to live with a whore'. I got in _so _much trouble after that.

"I hated my new living conditions so much that I ran away a lot. I mostly ran away to the park, but this one time I tried going to Wisconsin. It didn't go as planned because my mom found out about it. Needless to say I got in a lot of trouble.

"I gave up on my dream of going to Wisconsin, but I continued to run away... That's when I picked up on some bad habits. I started drinking and smoking, I even did drugs... but the worst thing I did happened a few months after I turned fifteen."

She stopped there and Gar spoke. "What did you do?"

She lowered her eyes, her hair becoming a curtain around her face. "I... slept with someone... for cash," tears came to her eyes that she wiped away, but more came. "I don't even know why I did it. I was just walking and suddenly I bump into this guy, this much older guy in a suit, and he offered me this proposition and... and it meant nothing! I didn't even know his name and I felt _so _horrible afterwards..."

Gar clenched his hands. It made him livid to think about another man's hands on Terra.

"That was the only time I did something like that," Terra told him, seeing his clenched hands and mistaking it for anger directed at her. "... Do you want my to stop?"

"No... Keep going."

"After... after that my mom got a boyfriend, him and I did not get along at all, so one day we all got in a argument and I told my mom to pick between him and me... and she chose him. The only person I had left was Brion.

"I packed up my stuff and went to see Brion. I hadn't seen him in years yet when I showed up at his doorstep it was like nothing changed between us. He excepted me with open arms and took me into his home. He even helped straighten me out, though bad habits are hard to break..."

"What happened after you were reunited?"

"Nothing much," Terra hesitated before she continued. "Until Brion got a job offer in Jump City. We moved here and then I met you." She looked at him. "I love you, Gar. I love you so much... Do you still love me?"

He took her hand in his and pulled her to him, planting a kiss on her lips. He leaned his forehead against her own, his tone low and gentle. "I still love you... I don't care about the stuff you've done, I love _you_."

"Would you continue to love me even if I did something really bad?" she asked, hopeful.

He took her hand and placed it above his heart, his green eyes gazing deeply into her blue ones as he answered her. "Terra, you're in here and nothing is ever going to change that. I promise."

Her eyes filled with tears but she blinked them away before kissing him deeply, pulling him closer. She pulled away momentarily to yank off her shirt before attaching her lips to his once more...

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO Trimacle, Emily Snow12, BerryDrops, mythica magic, iBelieveInAngels, Romancelover1321, Daniella TT, clarkLover1, sparklebluelemon, XxGraysonGirlxX, .Spaz-attack101, Little Miss Juliet, Agent of the Divine One, TeenTitansFreakFan, RoseXxxXThorn, cookiegurl15, cookiesruletheworld AND NegativeCloud FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! I CAN'T THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH. I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

**HM, I WONDER WHAT GAR AND TERRA ARE ABOUT TO DO... LOL, IT'S OBVIOUS ISN'T IT?**

**I HAVE SOME BAD NEWS FOLKS... SADLY, TODAY I STARTED SCHOOL. IT'S MY SENIOR YEAR! UM, MY FIRST DAY WAS OKAY, BUT MY SCHEDULE SUCKS. I DON'T HAVE A LUNCH PERIOD! I'M GONNA HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT, I DON'T CARE IF I HAVE TO FUSS WITH THAT EVIL COUNSELOR, I **_**WILL**_** GET A LUNCH PERIOD! OH, AND I HAVE HOMEWORK I NEED TO DO SO LET ME WRAP THIS UP...**

**EVEN THOUGH I'M BACK IN SCHOOL I'M GONNA TRY REAL HARD TO UPDATE FREQUENTLY, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN BUT I DO PROMISE TO TRY AND DO SPEEDY UPDATES. ONCE THIS STORY IS DONE I'M GOING TO START THE SEQUEL TO MY OTHER STORY, Teen Titans Together, AND IT WILL BE CALLED Teen Titans Forever. AFTER THAT STORY IS DONE WILL BE THE SEQUEL TO THIS STORY AND IT WILL BE CALLED First Time.**

**ONLY ****NINE**** CHAPTERS LEFT UNTIL THIS STORY IS FINISHED!**

**NEXT CHAPTER: EXPOSURE.**

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	52. Exposure

They had become closer than ever before. Gar was finding it difficult to believe how far his relationship with Terra had come in the span of one night. Not only did she share her secrets with him, but she shared her body as well. Her beautiful, slender body that Gar held throughout the entire night. He didn't want to let her go and often found himself waking in the night just to make sure she was still there, that she was still safe in his arms and what they did hadn't been a dream.

When he woke up the next morning and found Terra's spot on the bed vacant, he thought their magical night together didn't actually happen. It wouldn't have surprised him if it didn't, he often had dreams about Terra, dreams where he touched her and kissed her like never before... but this thought was put to rest instantly when he discovered a note on his dresser next to a butterfly clip that undeniably belonged to Terra.

He picked up the note and noticed it was in Terra's hand writing. He read it.

_'Dear Gar... uh, I think that's how most letters begin. Anyways, I wanted to say thank you for the night we shared. I can't even describe how much it meant to me. It was perfect. You were perfect.'_

_'By the time you read this letter I'll be gone, but don't worry. It's nothing serious and you're not the blame at all, I promise.'_

Gar sighed in relief. He was beginning to think Terra left early because of him, that maybe he did something wrong when they made love. He continued reading.

_'We'll meet up later, that's a promise. One more thing... I want you to know that no matter what happens, I love you. Even if it seems like I don't, I do. I really do love you with all my heart. Please don't ever forget that.'_

_'Sincerly, Terra.'_

Gar's eyes lingered on the letter for a few seconds longer before he finally placed it back in its original spot. The ending of Terra's letter touched him deeply and he couldn't help but feel happy, but at the same time her letter brought out a strong feeling of confusion that made him feel wary. Why did it almost sound as if she was telling him goodbye?

He shook his head, dispelling that thought. That was an impossibility. His relationship with Terra was stronger than ever, their night together was proof of that. There was no way it was going to end between them...

As Gar prepared himself for school he smiled in delight. He couldn't wait to get to school and see Terra.

TT

They noticed it immediately upon arriving: the stares, the whispers, the dirty looks. Kori and the others knew something was up, but were clueless as to why they were suddenly the object of everyones attention. They chose to ignore the unwanted attention and proceeded in different directions to their lockers. That's when they made some disturbing discoveries.

The first one to stumble upon one of the many new topics at school was Kori. She had approached her locker, and upon taking one glance was met with something ugly. She gasped with wide eyes and took a step back. Her sudden behavior caused Dick to jump by her side in alarm.

"Kori, what's wrong?" he asked, his eyes focused on her in an intense gaze.

Kori lifted a shaky finger and pointed at her locker. Dick then looked at her locker, and his own eyes widened.

Written in red on Kori's locker were the words _'cheating whore!' _in capital letters.

Dick turned around, eyes blazing in rage. "Who the fuck wrote this?!"

The other students glanced at him but kept their lips sealed. A few dirty looks were sent their way, as well as some amused grins.

Dick took a menacing step closer, ready to bash skulls if needed, his fist clenched. "I wanna know who's the sick bastard that wrote this!"

"Dick," Kori, after finally waking from her shocked state of mind, jumped into action to calm Dick down. She stood before him, preventing him from taking another step closer, and placed her hands on his chest to push him back gently. Her tone was soft and she focused her gaze on his eyes, hoping to make eye contact with him. "Dick, calm down. Please, for me."

"Calm down?" he snapped his narrowed eyes down to look at her. "Look at what's written on your locker!"

"I know... I know...," she replied softly, looking down. She couldn't pretend that what was written on her locker didn't hurt. She sighed and leaned her head against his chest, her hands clenching at his shirt. "Can we just hurry and get to class."

"Kori, I promise once I find out who did this--"

"It's no big deal, really," she assured him with a smile. A fake one, Dick couldn't help but notice that. She was trying to pretend as if this didn't bother her to put him at ease. "I'm just going to go to my locker real quick and then we can go to class."

He sighed, lowering his gaze. "Fine."

Kori nodded at him and went to her locker. She paused a moment, her eyes lingering on the door, before sighing. She proceeded to open the door and put away her things. While she did this, Dick heard a few girls muttering amongst themselves.

"I seriously doubt he'd be so upset about this if he knew what she did."

"Totally. He'd dump her in a heartbeat if he knew."

Dick was about to inquire as to what it was he didn't know, but Kori announced that she was ready to go. He turned his attention away from the girls and to Kori. She was smiling a fake smile again.

There was no time to question those girls. Kori needed him now.

He took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers, and they walked away.

Kori wasn't the only one with something written on her locker. Upon reaching their lockers Jenn, Karen, and Babs were met with similar messages. Written on Jenn's locker was the word '_whore!'_, and on Karen's the word _'hoe!' _was scribbled in marker. Babs locker read '_backstabbing bitch!_'_. _

Other messages were discovered on the bathroom walls by Toni, Roy, and Wally. In the girls bathroom Toni was horrified to see something written about her. _'Toni Monetti is the daughter of a criminal!'_ was written on the wall of the girls restroom Toni entered. Written in the boys bathroom were things concerning Roy, Wally, and Dick. _'Dick Grayson was an alcoholic!', 'Roy Harper did heroin!', _and _'Wally West and Jennifer Hex made a sex tape!' _were written in marker for all to read.

Raven, too, was included in the madness this particular morning brought. She was on her way to class when the school's counselor pulled her to the side. They exchanged a few words, but the conversation turned sour when he mentioned her father.

"It has come to my attention that you've been a victim of abuse and abandonment. I want you to know you can come to my office anytime."

Raven was to stunned to speak and could only nod her head before quickly walking away. She had no idea how the school's counselor found out about her secrets, but whoever told him was dead meat.

By the time Vic and Gar arrived at school and entered the classroom, their group of friends had already suffered more than they could bear by the hands of the other students. Their faces were fixed with angry frowns and narrowed eyes, whereas Vic and Gar held looks of confusion.

"Uh...," Gar began and the others turned their mean faces towards him. "Did we miss something?"

TT

Their most private secrets had been exposed to the entire school, and as a result Kori, Dick, Roy, Toni, Raven, Jenn, Wally, Babs, and Karen were having a terrible day. It was a surprise to all of them that they even made it to their lunch period without having resulted to violence, though Wally came close when a passing male student made a sexual comment to Jenn.

Since it was their lunch period the small group of friends decided that they would take this opportunity to divide themselves from the other students. They chose to sit amongst the bleachers belonging to the school's football field. It was empty, and more importantly it was far away from the rest of the student body.

"How the hell did this happen?" Raven questioned angrily, burying her face in her hands.

"Somebody must have said something," Dick deduced, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "Everything that was exposed was personal, things we've only said amongst ourselves."

Roy raised a brow and looked at Dick curiously. "Are you saying someone here stabbed us in the back."

All eyes turned to Dick who remained silent with pursed lips.

"That's some awesome faith you have in us mate," Toni commented sarcastically.

"I doubt anyone here would have done something like this," Kori announced softly.

"And besides, not everything said about us was true," Jenn added. "Wally and I never made a sex tape."

"What I want to know is how come everyone in our group was targeted except Gar, Vic, Terra, and Alain," Karen pointed out, eyeing Gar and Vic with suspicious eyes. The fact that Terra was absent today further advanced her suspicion.

"Are you saying one of us did it?" Vic inquired angrily, offended. "We've been friends for years! What would we have to gain by doing something like this?"

"Maybe not you or Gar, but Terra is another story," Wally stated.

Gar's expression turned to one of malice and he directed his anger towards Wally. "Terra is our friend! Who the fuck are you to accuse her! For all we know she," he pointed an accusing finger at Babs. "Did it!"

At first Babs was startled by his accussation and gasped in shock, but her moment of surprise was short lived and she glared at Gar. "Fuck you! I didn't have anything to do with this," she placed her hands on her hips. "And in case you've forgotten, I'm a victim here too. They tagged my locker!"

"Would everyone please calm down!" Kori shouted, her own anger bubbling. "We are all friends here! We shouldn't be fighting each other, especially at a time like this!"

The group fell into silence, feeling deeply ashamed of themselves for attacking each other the way they did. However, no one bothered to apologize. Tensions were high, and everyone had their suspicions. They had unanswered questions, making them frustrated and angry which caused them to snap at each other.

And to make matters worse, Kitten and her two friends were approaching them.

"Oh God," Kori mumbled miserably. The last thing she and her friends needed was Kitten's presence.

Kitten stopped in front of the bleachers, a smile on her face as she locked eyes on Kori and the others with Mandy and Cindy by her side. She had been quiet this morning, silently observing as her plan took action. Things were going better than she could have predicted, and now was the time for her to gloat.

"So this is where all of you have been hiding," she began, her hands on her hips. "I thought all of you would have liked being in the spotlight."

"Not now, Kitten," Toni growled. "We're not in the mood."

"Shut it criminal," Kitten snapped furiously. "I've been waiting for this moment and I will enjoy it."

"What did you call me?"

"What did you say?" Raven stood before Toni, preventing the feisty girl from taking further action, and narrowed her eyes at Kitten. "What do you mean you've been waiting for this moment? Did you plan all this?"

Kitten's smile became broader and she was filled with pride. "Guilty as charged."

The sudden revelation wasn't much of a surprise. They all know how much Kitten hated them, and if given the chance she would crush them under her heel, but they never knew just how far she was willing to go to make them miserable. Now they knew, and they were deeply mortified.

"You psychotic bitch," Babs said, absolutely disgusted with the blonde dressed in all pink before her. In her old school she had rumbled with girls much like Kitten, but none of them had ever done anything like this. Kitten was on a level all her own.

Kitten rolled her eyes at Babs comment. "Now isn't that the pot calling the kettle black. If anyone is psychotic here, it's you. Or have you forgotten everything you've wrote about in your diary?"

At the mention of this Cindy pulled out Babs diary, shocking the red head girl who immediately lunged for it. Cindy skillfully dodged her and hid behind Kitten, causing Babs to halt. Babs had thought she lost her diary during spring break, but now she realized that wasn't the case. Kitten had managed to get her hands on it somehow, and now she was at her mercy.

"Kitten, please don't...," Babs pleaded.

Kitten ignored the plea and cracked the diary open. She cleared her throat before she began to read. "I saw Dick again today and surprise, surprise, Kori was with him. Again. I don't know what he sees in her, she's not even that pretty. She's totally fake. She pretends to be so nice and innocent, but I see her for what she truly is. A worthless tramp. Others don't think she is a whore, but I do. She dresses like those old Gotham hookers from back home, and she's always hanging around Xavier. I'm sure she has a thing with him on the side. A girl like that can never be faithful.

"Poor Dick. He's been duped into believing that Kori is some sort of angel when she's not. She's evil and she doesn't deserve him! I deserve him! I've been in love with him ever since I saw him perform at the circus. I know that we are soul mates and that we belong together. The only thing standing in my way is Kori, but once I get her out of the way, I know Dick and I can have our happily ever after," Kitten finished and closed the book with a small snap, her eyes locking with Babs. "Care to explain that one to Kori, or should I read more?"

Kori looked over at Babs, her expression mirroring that of her hurt feelings. "Did you really write that, Babs?"

Babs turned to Kori, her mouth going dry upon seeing her expression. A stab of guilt washed over her, and she looked at the others who had unreadable expressions. Lastly her gaze fell upon Dick. The two locked eyes for a brief moment before Dick looked away. Babs felt her eyes water, but before any tears could fall she rushed up to Kitten and snatched her diary. She then ran away from the group as fast as she could.

Kori saw her go and for a moment considered running after her, but instead chose not to and wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes lingering down at her shoes.

Kitten crossed her arms, her smirk as wide as ever as she looked at Kori. "Betrayal is an ugly thing, isn't it, Kori?"

"What would you know about betrayal?" Raven snapped, her eyes and narrowed and her fist clenched. "Your friends are so terrified of you, they'd never double-cross you."

Kitten glanced to her side and smiled at Cindy and Mandy before turning her eyes back to Raven. "You're right about that, I really am not one to talk about betrayal... but you are. Your father and mother, what they did to you... No wonder why you're such a bitch, and so creepy and depressed. It must suck to have parents that hate you."

"Shut up!" Raven screamed, ready to attack the girl, but Vic stopped her in time.

"Apparently she's not the only one with daddy issues," Kitten said, focusing her eyes on her next victim. "Isn't that right, Toni?"

"I see it's my turn now. Go on kitty cat, push my buttons," Toni made a fist, grinning. "Let's find out what happens when you do."

"Such big words," Kitten taunted, not frightened in the least. Even if Toni did attack her, which she severely doubted would happen, it wouldn't matter. At this moment she held all the cards. She was invincible. "Did your daddy teach you that before he landed behind bars?"

Toni laughed. "Really now, is that your best? Well let me fill you in on a little something; I don't remember much about my father. So go ahead and say whatever you want, it's not going to bother me."

"So you really don't remember him? Or why he went to jail?" Cindy asked, curious. Kitten shot her a dirty look and she pursed her lips.

"Sorry girls," Toni replied triumphantly.

Kitten glared daggers at her, upset that she didn't get the chance to kick Toni around, and set her eyes on her next target in hopes of redeeming himself. "That's to bad about you and your dad, Toni. If you had remembered, maybe you could have given Roy tips on what not to do."

"Hey, I'm a good father to my kid," Roy snapped, causing Kitten to smirk. He had taken her bait, and now he was in her web.

"Really? Do good fathers normally take heroin? I wonder, when your daughter grows up, what will she think of you and Jade. You're an druggie and Jade is--"

"Not. Another. Word," Roy growled, a look of rage on his face. "Don't you dare speak about Jade."

There was a pause in which Kitten debated on toying with him further, but decided against it. She had gotten a reaction from him and that was good enough for her. Her eyes settled on Dick, and she smiled.

"Dickie-poo, I had no idea that you were an alcoholic. When did that happen?"

"Shortly after your crazy ass ex boyfriend tried to shoot me and shot my girlfriend instead."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Fang wasn't crazy."

"Get real, Kitten. Fang was psychotic, just like you are. You two were perfect for each other."

"We were perfect for each other," Kitten murmured softly, only for herself to hear. She allowed herself a moment of weakness before turning her eyes back to Dick. She was going to enjoy tormenting him, especially since he badmouthed Fang. "You know who's really perfect for each other? Kori and Xavier."

"Xavier and I are just friends," Kori stated, her eyes narrowed and her fist clenched in frustration. She had just about enough of people implying that her and Xavier had a secret relationship. They were _only _friends. Why was it so hard for others to understand that.

"Do you normally make out with your friends, or is Xavier just special?" Kitten asked as she pulled out a folded up photo from her pocket. She unfolded it for all to see.

All eyes went to the photo in shock.

"Oh no," Vic murmured. It was a no brainer to him, and everyone else, that this meant no good. His eyes went to Dick whose eyes continued to linger on the photo.

Dick took a step forward so he was standing in front of Kitten. She shifted under his blank stare, and almost flinched when he snatched the photo out of her hands. He continued to stare at it with an intense gaze before finally settling his eyes on Kori, his hands crumpling the photo in rage.

"You kissed Xavier?"

Under his intense gaze Kori felt very small. She wanted to speak, but found she was to timid to do so and looked away from him.

"Kori," Dick spoke again, his voice firm and intimidating. He smoothed the photo out and held it up to her. "Did you kiss Xavier?"

She didn't answer him.

"Is this photo real or not?!"

She flinched when he yelled at her and slowly brought her eyes up to meet his. "... I can explain."

He stepped away from her, tearing the photo into pieces as he did so before throwing the torn pieces to the ground. He then turned away and quickly exited the field.

"Dick... Dick, please wait!" Kori called out after him and followed him off the field.

"Amazing how one photo can destroy a person's life," Kitten commented after a long pause of silence. "Speaking of photos, I actually have one more." She reached into Cindy's bag and pulled out a photo, this one much larger than the last. "Karen, you're going to love this."

She turned the photo around so Karen and the others could get a good look, and there was a collective gasp. Jenn shielded the eyes of Roy and Wally, Vic glued his eyes to the ground, and Gar covered his. Karen waisted little time and snatched the photo away from the snickering girl and tore it to shreds.

"How did you get your hands on that?" Karen growled before throwing the scraps to the ground, glaring at Kitten.

"I have my ways," Kitten answered. "No need to be embarrassed, Karen. The boys I gave the picture to just loved it, but their girlfriends... they weren't to happy."

"How could you give that picture out to people?! That was private!"

"Could have fooled me."

Karen lunged at her, but Roy held her back, though it was proving to be a difficult task. "Easy, Karen! Attacking Kitten isn't going to make things better."

"It would make me feel a whole lot better."

"Karen!"

"Fine!" she snapped. Roy finally let her go and she crossed her arms hotly.

"Wow, Karen. You gave up quickly, kinda like Jenn did with Wally during spring break."

Wally raised a brow. "What would you know about our spring break?"

"Plenty."

"What does that mean?"

"... Show them the DVD, Cindy."

Cindy did as she was told and pulled out a portable DVD player from her bag. She handed it to Jenn who eyed it curiously before turning it on. As the DVD began to play Wally looked over her shoulder. What they saw play across the screen shocked them both, so much so that Jenn dropped the device in her hands.

"Hey, watch the merchandise!"

Cindy's angry shout was enough to snap Wally out from his stupor. Once he was out of it he picked up the portable DVD player and removed the disc inside it. He then snapped it in two.

"You won't be showing that to anyone," he growled, glaring at Kitten.

"I already have," Kitten replied. "And that was just a copy. The original is hidden were you two can't get to it."

"Kitten, you have to give us that DVD," Jenn demanded.

"I don't have to do anything. As a matter of fact, I think I might invite people over to my house today to see your little porno. I've already shown it to a few people."

"Oh God," Jenn murmured, burying her face in her hands. She could almost feel her whole world going down in flames.

"We want that DVD," Wally told her. He tried to sound firm, but his voice came out shaky.

"Alright, you can have it. For a price."

"What do you want?"

"Nothing much," Kitten answered innocently. "Just for the two of you to do whatever I say."

"Are you kidding me!" Toni shouted. "Jenn and Wally would never--"

"How long?" Jenn asked quietly, her eyes locked to the ground and surprising everyone. "How long would we have to be under your thumb?"

Kitten was surprised by Jenn's sudden question, but composed herself quickly and answered. "For as long as I want."

"And if we don't do it?" Wally asked.

"Then I leak the movie online."

"Are you really that twisted?"

"You can't do that to them!"

"That's going way to far!"

Kitten ignored the others and kept her eyes focused on Jenn. "Do we have a deal?"

Jenn snapped her eyes up to meet Kitten's, then glanced over at Wally. The two locked eyes, and he nodded at her. Jenn sighed heavily before answering. "We'll do it."

They were met with protest from the others, but a strong word from Vic was enough to hush them. He pointed at Jenn, and the others took the hint. They could tell just by looking at her how much this was killing her inside. Jenn was a strong willed person, a fighter. To give in to Kitten was a blow to her pride, but she no other choice. Kitten had the winning hand, there was no fighting her.

"Well, this has been _very _interesting, but it's time for us to leave. Girls," Kitten said as she turned around, ready to depart. She had done what she came to do and had her fill, there was no point in sticking around now.

"What about us?" Vic asked, causing her to pause and look around. "I doubt you would just leave me, Gar, Terra, and Alain alone. What are you planning for us?"

Kitten crossed her arms and smirked. She loved the sudden power she had over her enemies. "I chose to leave Alain alone because I heard about what happened to him, but as for you two," she pointed at Vic and Gar. "Your surprises will be coming soon. _Very _soon. As for Terra... I wouldn't harm a hair on her head."

"So I guess that means she's the rat," Raven deduced with crossed arms and scowl on her face.

Gar glared at her. "Raven! Terra's our friend! She would never turn on us for Kitten!"

Raven narrowed her eyes at him. "Try using your brain for a change and think. Someone gave Kitten the information she needed, that someone had to be close to us. Close enough to know all our secrets, close enough to steal a picture of Karen, and close enough to get a camera in the room Jenn and Wally were in during spring break. Terra is that someone. She stabbed us in the back."

"You're wrong! Terra would never betray us! Never! And what about Babs? She could have easily done all this!"

"And expose her own diary? I doubt that."

"You're just picking on Terra because you're jealous of her!"

Raven's eyes widened for a brief moment before she narrowed them again. "Okay, if you think I'm the liar here let's ask Kitten," Raven turned her gaze towards the girl in pink. "Did Terra help you? Did she betray us?"

There was a pause before Kitten answered. "Yes."

"Liar!" Gar screamed furiously. He took a step towards Kitten, and in fear that he was going to do something crazy Vic took hold of him.

"For once I'm not the one lying," Kitten confessed. "Terra did help me with my plan, and she got a nice reward for doing so. I'm sure this is a huge _surprise _to you, Gar, but it is the truth. Terra never really cared about you at all, she was just doing her job."

"I don't believe you."

"Well then you're dumber than I thought," Kitten said, turning around and walking away. "Come on girls."

Mandy and Cindy followed her, leaving the others in silence. Once the three girls were out of view, the silence was broken by Roy.

"I can't believe Terra did this to us."

"Well believe it. She's a traitor," Raven said. "I can't believe we trusted her, that _I _trusted her."

"That bitch is gonna pay," Toni said, punching her fist into the palm of her hand.

"You guys," Gar exclaimed. "You can't seriously think for a minute Kitten was telling the truth. Look, I know Terra. She would never--"

"Gar," Vic cut in firmly. "I know it's hard for you to believe otherwise, but it's obvious that Terra helped Kitten do this. She sold us out man."

Gar shook his head, refusing to listen to another word. It was impossible that Terra, _his _Terra, the only girl he had fallen in love with, could do something so horrible. If the others couldn't understand that then he wanted nothing to do with them. "To hell with you guys," he grumbled before walking away.

"Gar...," Vic called out to him, taking a step forward, but stopped when he felt someone grab hold of his arm. He turned to discover the one that stopped him was Raven. She looked at him intensely and shook her head. He sighed and turned his head, watching Gar's retreating form with a gloomy countenance.

TT

Kori had followed Dick all the way to the parking lot, calling his name and receiving no response. She saw him going to his car, and just as he was opening the door she made a dash towards him and threw herself against the door, shutting it. At first she was to timid to even look him in the eye, but after chasing him and being ignored a flame was lit inside her, bringing out her inner fierceness which she directed at Dick.

"Would you please just let me explain?!" she snapped, locking eyes with him and grabbing hold of his shirt to hold him place.

He scowled at her and removed her hands from his shirt. "What's to explain? You kissed Xavier."

He reached for the door handle but Kori blocked him. "It wasn't like that. He kissed me, and it ended just as soon as it started. It meant nothing."

"Maybe to you it didn't, but what about Xavier? I've told you countless times how much it bothered me that the two of you were friends, and I told you that he had a thing for you! When I wanted you to believe me you didn't, so why should I believe you now? Especially since you've been keeping this from me!"

"I know it was wrong, but I didn't want to tell you because I was scared."

"Scared of what? Scared of me? You're afraid of me now?!"

"No! I was afraid of how you would react, and with good reason apparently."

"So now I'm the bad guy here?"

"I didn't say that," she exasperated.

"You're not saying a lot of things! You still haven't told me why you and Xavier kissed."

"It's complicated...," Kori admitted softly, her fingers fidgeting as she avoided eye contact. The only way to clear her name was to tell Dick the truth about Xavier, but what would that mean for Xavier if Dick knew?

Apparently she was taking to long to answer him, and so Dick threw up his hands in frustration.

"You know what... Forget it. Just forgot it, because I can't deal with this... or you," he admitted, reaching for the door handle. "Not now anyways."

Kori blocked him, her eyes desperately trying to meet his but failing to do so. She couldn't let things end this way. "Please, Dick, please," she pleaded. "Can't we just talk about this."

"Kori... get out out of my way before I say something we'll both regret," he replied coldly.

The vemon of his words stung her and put out the fire within her. She wordlessly stood there as he sided stepped around her, allowing him to get to his car and enter the driver's seat. He then drove away as fast as he could, leaving Kori alone and feeling horrible.

TT

Despite the urge to ditch school and hide from the rest of the student body, Raven and the others decided to hang in there. They wouldn't allow themselves to be bullied into leaving, though Kori was close to giving up due to her fight with Dick, but Raven was determined for her and the others to remain strong. So when she, Karen, and Vic entered their next period class, which was math, they held their heads up high and ignored the whispers and stares. Another thing they avoided, or rather a person they avoided, was Gar.

He had math class with them, and when he entered the room he sent them a malicious glare and sat towards the back, far from them. In response to his attitude Raven chose to ignore him, and demanded that Karen and Vic do the same until he finally came to his senses and accepted the fact that Terra was a traitor.

Raven gripped her pencil, and a angry scowl adorned her face.

Was he really that naive? How could he continue to believe in Terra after all the facts proved she was guilty? Was his loyalty to her that strong?

Raven shook her head, clearing her mind. She didn't have time to mule over Gar and his misplaced devotion to a backstabber. She had a worksheet that needed to be done.

As she began work anew, the door to the classroom opened and Mr. Wintergreen stepped in, a stern no-nonsense countenance plastered to his face as usual.

He directed his attention to the subsitute up front. "I require one of the students. May Victor Stone be dismissed?"

The substitute teacher dismissed Vic with no hesitation, and Vic departed the class after Mr. Wintergreen. The much older man lead him down the halls, and they didn't stop until they reached Vic's locker.

"Young man, open your locker please," Mr. Wintergreen instructed.

Vic, though puzzled, did as he was told and opened his locker. Once it was open Mr. Wintergreen inspected the inside.

"Uh... sir, is there something in particular that you're looking for?" Vic asked, a little peeved that _his _locker, of all peoples, was being searched.

"Yes, and I do believe I've found it," he replied, pulling out a clear bag with white powder and a razor.

Vic's eyes were as wide as saucers. Not only was he in a state of shock, but he had _absolutely _no idea how _that_ got into his locker. He managed to tear his eyes away from the bag and to the peeved man next to him. "That's not mine."

Mr. Wintergreen scoffed and put a hand on his shoulder, leading him away. "As if I haven't heard that one before."

TT

News of what happened to Vic traveled in record time, and it wasn't long until Kori and the others found out.

"So what's going to happen to him?" Kori asked in concern.

"We don't know," Raven replied, running a hand through her hair. "Some kid who was at the office when they brought Vic in just barged into our class, yelled out he was caught with drugs, and then ran out."

"Do you think he's still in the office?" Gar asked, having finally come around due to the news of Vic's predicament, though he still fully believed in Terra's innocence.

"Wally is free this period," Jenn announced. "He's going to try and find out whatever he can, but I don't think there's much he, or any of us, can do."

"Well for now let's just try and stick together and help each other out as much as possible," Karen said.

"Karen's right. If Kitten is willing to go this far who knows what will happen," Roy commented.

"Okay, so we have each others back. For now," Toni narrowed her eyes at Roy. "Now let's get to class before I change my mind and ditch."

They headed off in different directions after that. Toni and Jenn went off towards their math class, while Roy took off in search of Wally, for he too had a free period. Raven and Karen went in one direction to get to government class, and Gar went in the other to get to English. This left Kori alone as she walked the necessary route to get to her science class.

The halls were empty, meaning she and the others had spent to much time talking and were going to be a few minutes late. As Kori rounded the corner she saw a familiar face lurking in her path.

Ian.

Her school day had already been total hell, the last thing she wanted was another thing to make it even worse. She lowered her eyes to the ground, praying that she would be able to get past the gangster without exchanging words, but her prayers weren't answered and she was soon face to face with a smirking Ian.

"What's the rush, Kori?" he asked, blocking her path. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're not happy to see me."

She wanted to tell him off, but she didn't have the strength to do so. Not today. Not after everything that had happened.

"I have to get to class," she muttered. She attempted to pass him, but he blocked her again.

"You know, I've recently come across a most interesting picture," he said, removing a photo from his back pocket and holding it up for her to see. It was a photo of her and Xavier kissing. "I always thought there was a little something between you and Xavier."

He chuckled, and she snatched the picture from him before ripping it into pieces and throwing it at his face. She scowled at him. "What goes on between Xavier and I is none of your business."

"Ah, now that's where you're wrong. You see, Kori, Xavier and I have similar interest. Both in lifestyles and in women," he lifted her chin with his index finger. "I think it's only fair that I get a kiss too."

She slapped his hand away. "Leave me alone," she growled at him, walking away.

He chuckled, watching her as she walked away. "What an interesting girl."

TT

He was pissed. No, he was _beyond _pissed. He was furious right down to the very core of his being. He felt like punching something, or rather someone. Xavier. Dick gripped the steering wheel tighter as his eyes narrowed, his lips pursed in a deep frown. If only if he could get his hands on that rat, he would tear him to shreds. He would teach him a lesson to keep his hands, and his _lips, _to himself. To think he actually shook hands with that snake.

Dick pulled his car into the drive way and got out, slamming the door shut. He then proceeded inside his home, a scowl glued to his face and he slammed the front door close too.

Alfred, who was passing by, paused immediately and set his eyes upon Dick who was already storming his way to the stairs. "Master Dick, you're home early."

He received no reply, and only the stomps up the stairs were heard.

Alfred inwardly sighed. This wasn't good. "Master Dick--"

"Hold all my calls, Alfred. _All _my calls. I do not want to be bothered."

Alfred lowered his gaze, a sadness pulling at him. "As you wish."

Dick didn't wait for his answer and merely continued on his way to his room. Once there he slammed the door shut. After that he didn't know what to do with himself. He paced back and forth, running a hand across his face and through his hair, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

He was _so _angry. Angry at Kitten. Angry at Xavier. Angry at Kori...

Kori. How could she betray him like that? How could she kiss Xavier? Xavier, of all people. Why did it have to be him? The person he hated most stole a kiss from the girl he loved. _His _girl. Xavier had no right.

It was at this moment a yell escaped Dick's throat as he punched the wall.

He became lost in a blind rage after that, taking out all his anger and frustration out on his room. His hands ruined whatever they came into contact with. He tore things to pieces, threw things at the wall and out the window. By the time he settled down and sat with his face buried into his knees, his room looked like a war zone. Nothing had went untouched by his rage.

TT

The school day had long ago since ended, and currently Gar sat on a bench in the park. He was waiting for Terra's arrival, who he contacted immediately after school had let out. The two of them had much to discuss. A lot had happened recently: Alain's stabbing, secrets being exposed, and the special night he shared with Terra, something he would never forget. One thing after another, after another, had been piled on top of each other, and now that pile was about to tip over. Gar needed a stable base, and that base was Terra.

He was her approaching when he glanced to the side and he stood up, embracing her once she was close enough to do so. He held her for a long time and could feel all his stress draining away. Thank goodness for Terra. If he didn't have her he didn't know what he would do.

"Why didn't you come to school?" he asked her, once they pulled away and were face to face. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Terra said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "But I couldn't go... not today."

"I wish I didn't go. Today was a total nightmare. Kitten exposed everyone's secrets. Now the whole school is against us, and everyone is pissed off and... and...," his eyes narrowed slightly at her. "You don't look surprised."

She lowered her gaze and bit her lip.

He continued. "Kitten said that you helped her. That you were in on the scheme and betrayed us. The others believed her, but I didn't. I wasn't wrong to believe in you, right?"

She wanted nothing more than to spare his feelings, but she knew she couldn't do that. Gar deserved the truth. "It... it wasn't a lie... I helped her. I betrayed you and the others."

She had spoken loud and clear, yet Gar couldn't comprehend her words. Or rather, he just didn't want to believe them. He took her hands in his own. "It's okay, Terra. You don't have to take the blame for what Kitten did. I know you didn't--"

"Gar," she gazed down at their linked hands before pulling her hands away and looking him in the eye. "Kitten didn't lie to you... but I did. I've been helping her since I got here to get information about you and the others."

There was no denying the truth now, and the betrayal he felt was readable on Gar's face. "... Why, Terra?"

She shifted uncomfortably, looking everywhere except at him. "I... She... She paid me."

"You turned against us for money?" Gar couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was furious. "How could you do something so low?!"

"Gar, you don't understand. I've never had anything my whole life, so when the opportunity came along for me to finally get _something _I took it. But that was before I began to truly care about you," she said as she took his hand and held it in her own.

He glared at her and tore his hand away. "But you helped her anyway."

She wasn't surprised by the way he was acting, after all she deserved it, but it still hurt. "I know, and I'm sorry. I tried to back out, but she wouldn't let me. She said she would get my brother fired, Gar, I had no choice!"

"You ha a choice! You could have come to me! You could have asked me for help!"

She felt tears coming to her eyes and she wiped them away. It was terrible to hear him yell at her, to have him so angry at her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. If I could take it all back I would."

"But you can't. You ruined everything!" he turned away from her, his hands clenched into tight fist. Raven was right after all. Terra was a traitor.

"Gar," Terra took a step closer to him. "Please... You promised me that no matter what you would always love me."

She extended a hand towards him. "Just tell me that hasn't changed."

He looked at her with narrowed eyes. "You're nothing to me."

He turned his back to her then, leaving her standing alone with wide eyes as he walked away.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO clarkLover1, xXraincloudXx, sparklebluelemon, Daniella TT, XxGraysonGirlxX, Elle Wednesday, iBelieveInAngels, Trimacle, Agent of the Divine One, TeenTitansFreakFan, cookiegurl15, Hexanna, Emily Snow12, Little Miss Juliet, Gem of the Amethyst rose, Romancelover1321, Some1's Lost Soul, BerryDrops, Errant Wrath, tennisgal456, mythica magic, AND Kichi Penn FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS. I HOPED EVERYONE ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

**SORRY IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO UPDATE. I'VE BEEN REALLY BUSY LATELY. SCHOOL WILL DO THAT. BUT ON THE BRIGHT SIDE I GOT A LUNCH PERIOD NOW! AND I EVEN GOT INTO THIS ANIMATION PROGRAM.**

**YEAH, THIS CHAPTER... IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LONGER, BUT I JUST DECIDED TO CUT OUT A LOT OF THINGS. THE ENDING WITH GAR AND TERRA, THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE SOME MORE STUFF ADDED TO IT, BUT THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN TAKING FOREVER TO FINALLY BE FINISHED SO I CUT IT SHORT. HOPEFULLY THIS WON'T BE THE CASE WITH NEXT CHAPTER AND I CAN FILL IT WITH EVERYTHING I WANT.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: TERRA'S LIFE HAS CRASHED AND BURNED AROUND HER, PUSHING HER TO HER BREAKING POINT.**

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	53. Fallen

As soon as school was over, she had called him numerous times, but each call had went unanswered and she was beginning to think the worse. However, her eighteenth call made her heart skip a beat in what was pure happiness. After a few rings he had finally picked up and she heard his voice.

"What do you want?" he asked her coldly.

It wasn't the reaction she wanted, but she wasn't exactly surprised by his hostility either. Either way, whatever happiness she was feeling went out like a lit candle in the wind.

"How are you?" she asked softly. Although he often faced the world with a brave exterior, she knew his heart. She knew how fragile he actually was, and after how they parted today she knew he was hurting.

"I found out that my girlfriend betrayed me today. How do you think I'm doing?"

"I didn't betray you."

"So then what do you call kissing Xavier behind my back?!" he snapped, and in perfect timing to his angry snarl a roar of thunder was heard.

Kori jumped in fright, her eyes quickly going to the window to see a flash of lightening. A downpour of rain quickly followed.

On the other end of the line, Dick's eyes went to the window of the guest room (after trashing his own room he needed a new place to sleep, luckily Wayne Manor had its fair share of bedrooms). His eyes focused on the rain pelting at the window, and his mind began to wander. Kori's voice began to fade, and in its place a memory from his last summer vacation came to mind...

_... Sophomore year had ended just a few weeks before, and Dick and Kori were still in, what Vic called, the honeymoon stage of their relationship. During that time Bruce had dragged Dick to numerous fund raising events, so Dick's time with Kori had been limited, but whenever they were together he showered her with attention._

_On one day in particular it was raining during one of their dates. They were in the pizzeria, just the two of them in their own booth, and all of sudden Xavier comes in drenched from head to toe._

_Upon seeing him Kori got up immediately. Dick, who had been leaning on her, lost her warmth and turned his jealous eyes upwards to see her fretting over Xavier. _

_"You're soaking wet! You can catch a cold. You need to get dry."_

_The look of concern on her face... How close she was standing next to him... Dick hated it. He hated it._

"Dick, please, will you just talk to me... please..."

Dick snapped out of his stupor in time to hear Kori pleading with him. How long had he been silent? He didn't know, and to be honest he didn't even care. He was done with this.

"Don't call me any more," Dick murmured.

"What?" Kori said, confused. "But, Dick, I--"

He didn't give her a chance to finish and abruptly shut his phone.

It took a moment for Kori to register the fact that he had hung up on her, but once it finally it her she couldn't hold back her tears.

TT

"You're unusually happy today," Ian noted as he made himself comfortable on Kitten's bed.

Kitten shut her bedroom door and turned back to him with a grin on her face that would put the Grinch to shame. "With good reason. I've been waiting for this day since... _forever_! Now Kori and her disgusting friends finally know that I'm a force to be reckon with."

"So what happens now?"

"Now we celebrate," she announced gleefully, twirling. "My parents aren't here so we have the whole place to ourselves..." Kitten added with a wink.

He didn't even bat an eye at her offer. "That's not what I meant."

Confused, Kitten's smile faded. She brought herself over to the bed and sat down besides him. "So what do you mean?"

He released an irritated sigh and explained. "What's the next phase of your plan?"

"Oh," kitten remained silent with a perplexed expression. The next phase of her plan? There was no next phase. She had exposed Kori and the others to the entire school already. She got her revenge. What else was there to do? "Well... I do plan to mess with Wally and Jenn, but other than that I'm done. My master plan is complete. I've already gotten what I've wanted."

"Hm... How boring," Ian commented, getting off from the bed and heading towards the door.

"Wh-What," Kitten called out as she followed him. "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere," he replied coolly as he reached the stairs.

"But what about us? I thought we could spend some time together and celebrate me finally accomplishing my goal."

"There is no us. Never has been," he told her when they reached the foyer. He grabbed his coat off the rack.

Kitten's eyes widened and she couldn't hide the surprise that was evident in her voice. "But I... thought you liked me."

He chuckled as he adjusted the collar to his jacket. "You did amuse me at times."

She glared at him and clenched her fist. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

He smiled at her and took a slow step towards her. Gently he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Leaning closer, Kitten could feel his breath on her ear.

"It means I considered you a toy," he whispered. Pulling back he watched the reaction on her face. Shock, and perhaps some hurt was what he read on her features. He smiled again. "And like all toys, they eventually become uninteresting and have to be thrown away."

Not one to be kicked around, Kitten raised her hand with the intention of slapping him. "You asshole!"

She swung her hand, but Ian caught it easily. He cocked his head to the side. "Tsk, tsk, Kitten. You need to learn your place."

"Learn my place? I'm like the freakin' queen at our school! Today proved that. If anything you should learn your place!"

He narrowed his eyes at her and squeezed her wrist. "You may rule the school, but I rule the underworld," he pointed out, referring to his gang affiliations. "Remember that."

He released her then and stepped out into the pouring rain.

TT

Lunch was a quiet affair for Kori, Karen, Roy, Toni, Raven, Jenn, and Wally. A glum rain cloud hung over each of their heads, drenching them each with their own personal issues.

For Kori, it was her problems with Dick. She could take the teasing and the dirty looks, sure it bothered her like hell, but she could swallow it all down and still keep her head up high... It was Dick being mad at her that kept her shoulders slumped and her head hung low. If only if she could talk to him, if only if she could get a chance to make things right... She sighed as she rubbed her eyes. It was a wretched feeling to feel like a failure.

Kori wasn't the only one who felt like a failure. The same feeling applied to Roy. It had taken a _lot _of work for him to move past his drug addiction, but now that the fact that he had used heroin was being thrown in his face left and right... He not only felt like a failure, but he felt an immense amount of regret as well. Regret that Lian, his perfect little girl, had a screw up for a father.

Karen was trying her best to remain optimistic. Sure her situation was bad, she had a picture of herself in sexy lingerie floating around school, but at least she wasn't naked... Then again it didn't even matter. Either way boys in school still wolf whistled at her and said snide little comments. One boy even had the nerve to ask her for her autograph. She was speechless in that situation, but luckily Mal, who was walking with her at the time, was not. He gave the boy a good punch... But still, as happy as it made her to have Mal care so much, he couldn't beat up everyone who hurt her feelings.

Karen buried her face in her arms. _To hell with optimism_, she thought. _Life sucks!_

Raven's situation was different than the others. Of course it bothered her that her personal business was made into gossip for the school, but what bothered her the most was the fact that she had let Terra close enough to learn all that. She was furious at Terra for what she did, but she was angry at herself too for trusting her in the first place.

Although Raven's wrath was well known within her group of friends, not only known but feared as well, Toni's temper was a close second. Usually Alain kept her grounded, but his absence combined with recent events left Toni as a ticking time bomb. So far she had yet to blow, but infuriating classmates who accused her of stealing, like a certain classmate of hers from first period who blamed Toni for her missing iPod, didn't help much to keep the peace.

Jenn and Wally's problem was the same, and it took the form of Kitten. The blonde haired girl had given them both an evil grin during first period, and although she didn't say anything, they both knew she was going to hassle them sooner or later...

And judging how she was approaching their table, they knew it would be sooner.

"Well, don't you all look like shit," Kitten commented cheerfully, looking at Kori and the others as she stood before their table. "Your table is looking awfully empty today. Where is everyone?"

Dick, Gar, Vic, Terra, and Babs were no shows today at school, but even if Terra and Babs were to have come there was no way they would be sitting at this table, not after what they did. As for the boys, it could only be assumed that Dick and Gar were absent due to yesterday's upsetting events. However, Vic's situation was much more complex than that.

After having an illegal substance found in his locker, Mr. Wilson as pushing for Vic to be expelled, but not without hitting heads with Vic's parents. They believed their son when he said that the drugs wasn't his, it was just a matter of proving his innocence.

"It's none of your damn business," Raven responded, her eyes narrowed. "So why don't you just leave and eat lunch with your two little followers that you call friends."

"I will, after Jenn gets me a soda," Kitten said coolly, her smile seemingly innocent, but clearly devious.

"Why should she?" Kori asked, her eyes narrowed as well. "Jenn's not your maid."

"Well... she can either get me a soda or I can show everyone the video of her and Wally f--"

Jenn slammed her hands on the table and stood up with a scowl on her face. "I'll get you your soda," she grumbled to Kitten before leaving.

"That's a good girl," Kitten murmured. She smirked and took a seat at the table, much to everyones displeasure.

It was at this moment Toni spoke, her eyes locked on Kitten. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sitting, _duh_."

"... That's where Alain sits."

"Really?" Kitten shrugged. "Well he's not here, is he."

"Get up!"

Toni's outburst surprised everyone.

"That's Alain's spot. Get up."

"Look, your little boyfriend isn't here, so I don't see any reason for me to move," Kitten said, arms crossed. If Toni was trying to challenge her, she would gladly accept.

"I said get up!" Toni yelled, rising out of her seat and glaring at the blonde before her.

Kitten was unfazed by this and merely smirked. "... Are all convict daughters this temperamental, or is it just you?"

The others kept their eyes on Toni. If she was to blow, they would be forced to intervene.

Abruptly, much to everyone's surprise and confusion, Toni laughed.

"You really are a silly girl, Kitten," Toni said, smiling. "Go ahead, say something. C'mon, say something else that's gonna piss me off. I'm begging you to. Just say something else so I can snap and go all out."

"Toni," Karen began softly. "Stop."

"Why should I?! All I'm asking is for her to say something else so I can lose my temper and kick the shit outta her! Go ahead, Kitten, set me off. I dare you. I fucking dare you!"

"All right, you need to calm down," Karen said, grabbing Toni's arm and pulling her away.

Toni snatched her arm away, but no sooner that she did that Karen took hold of her again, dragging her away. All the while Toni kept screaming at Kitten, causing all eyes in the lunch room to look her way.

"Yeah, my dad's a convict. So what! I'll show you what a convict's daughter can do, bitch!"

Although it took a lot of strength on Karen's part, she finally managed to remove Toni out of the lunch room. After that, everyone went about their business, although a few comments were made about what happened just moments before.

Kori, Raven, Wally, and Roy gazed at Kitten who was visibly shaken.

"What's... What's with that girl?" Kitten asked. She tucked her hair behind her ears and put on a brave face. "You guys should lock her up at home or something."

"That was your own fault you know," Raven pointed out. "Toni's been through a lot, not only because of what you did, but because of what happened to Alain, too. You shouldn't have pushed her buttons like that."

"Your friend is a freak, so it's not my fault if she can't control herself."

Raven was about to speak, but lost her chance to when Jenn returned to the table.

"I got your soda," Jenn announced in an irritated tone of voice. She handed a bottle of soda to Kitten. "... What did you do to Toni?"

Kitten accepted the soda and stood up as she opened it. "You should worry about yourself instead of your friend," she suggested before taking a sip of her drink. "Hm... taste funny. You can have this, Jenn."

Suddenly, Jenn felt a shower of soda being poured onto her head. It soaked her hair and face, and trailed downwards, staining her shirt. Kitten shook the bottle, making sure every last drop made it out before pulling the bottle away and setting it down on the table. Surrounding tables who witnessed this began to snicker and point.

She smiled at Jenn, whose eyes were wide in humiliation. "You know, that's a good look on you, Jenn," she turned her gaze towards Wally. "Oh, Wally, cancel any plans you have after school, because you and I are going on a date."

Wally, who was busy cleaning Jenn's face with a napkin, stopped. He turned his attention to Kitten. "Are you completely nuts? There's no way I'm going on a date with you! I already have a girlfriend," he glared at her. "Who you poured soda on."

"If you refuse to go on the date with me then I'll show everyone what you and Jenn did during spring break."

"Enough, Kitten, that's going to far," snapped Roy. "You can't force Wally to go out with you."

"Actually, I can."

"Well you can forget about it!" Wally shouted angrily, his hands balled up into fist. "There's no way I'm--"

"He'll do it," Jenn interrupted softly.

All eyes turned towards her in surprise.

"He'll go on the date with you," Jenn told Kitten, her eyes locked on the ground.

Baffled by Jenn's eyes submission, it took Kitten a moment to comprehend her words. Once she did, she grinned from ear to ear. "Excellent. Wally, you can meet me by my car after school."

With that being said, Kitten took her leave. Once she was gone, Wally rounded on Jenn.

"Why did you do that?! I told her no!"

"... We're not in any position to tell her no. Or did you forget about how she can easily ruin us both?" Jenn snapped angrily.

Wally opened his mouth to snap right back at her, but decided against it. He mumbled "whatever" and quickly left the lunch room. After a moment, Roy followed him out.

This left Raven, Kori, and Jenn alone in silence.

Standing up, Kori moved to where Jenn was and took her hand. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Jenn nodded and allowed Kori to guide her out of the lunch room, Raven following closely behind.

TT

As planned, Wally met Kitten after school for their date, much to his displeasure. Wally had a scowl on his face that could chase off anyone. He didn't want to do this. He _really _didn't want to do this. Why was he doing this?

Jenn.

He clenched his fist. What was she thinking, agreeing to something like this? And without even putting up a fight! She let Kitten order her around, she let Kitten pour soda on her head without retaliation, and now she was allowing Kitten to take him out on a date.

He knew there were awful circumstances and they had no choice but to follow Kitten's orders, but where was Jenn's fire? Her strength and courage?

Whatever was going on with Jenn would have to take a back seat for now. At the moment he needed to concentrate on Kitten. She was as tricky as they come. He needed to stay alert when around her or else he could fall into another of her traps.

"Alright, we're here," Kitten announced happily. "And stop frowning! You should be honored that I even asked you out."

"I'll be honored when this date is over," Wally grumbled as he stepped out of Kitten's car. "Just how long is this "date" supposed to last?"

"Until I'm done with you. Now come on, we're going upstairs to my room."

Reluctantly, Wally followed Kitten into her home and up to her room. Upon entering her room, he was taken aback. Kitten's room was so... pink.

"You can go ahead and take a seat wherever you like," Kitten said as she took a seat on her bed, crossing her legs in a lady like manner.

"No thanks. I'd rather stand," Wally responded. He couldn't get to comfortable with Kitten around.

Kitten leaned forward, her gaze set intently on Wally's face. He looked back at her, perplexed. Why did it suddenly feel as if he was under a microscope?

She grinned. "You seem so nervous. Don't tell me you're scared..."

"Scared?! Why would I be scared of a girl?!" Wally shouted, not only insulted but embarrassed as well. Okay, so maybe being alone with Kitten was a little more than nerve racking, but Kitten wasn't an ordinary girl. She was more like a demon lady, in his opinion.

"I never said anything about being scared of a girl."

At this, Wally's face turned completely red. _Dammit_, he thought. _I must really look like an idiot right now._

Kitten allowed herself a moment to laugh out loud before focusing her blue eyes back onto Wally. She twisted a strand of blonde hair around her finger. "So... how are things with you and Jenn?"

"It's none of your business how things are between us," Wally snapped angrily.

Kitten was unfazed by his anger and merely rolled her eyes. "That bad, huh?"

It was true that ever since yesterday's exposure both he and Jenn had been stuck in a funk, that being shown clearly today, but there was no way he was going to tell Kitten that. After all, it was all her fault, and knowing that would most likely give her satisfaction.

"Wally," Kitten began, waiting until he looked at her before continuing. "How about you dump Jenn and date me instead."

Wally blinked several times upon hearing her proposition... and then laughed uncontrollably, so much so that he had to clutch his sides and tears came to his eyes.

"Oh wow... Ha ha!" Wally straightened himself and wiped his eyes, a few chuckles still escaping him. "I needed that laugh. Who knew you could be so funny... Ha ha!"

"I wasn't joking."

Wally eyed her warily.

"I was serious," she admitted. "I want you to date me."

The shock from her confession was to much for him to handle and he fell abruptly to the floor.

Kitten took this as her chance and approached him. She crouched down before him, a little too close for comfort for him and he backed away. "So, what do you say? Wanna date me?"

Hearing that, Wally realized that this was indeed reality and not some horrible nightmare, and woke from his stupor. "What do I say? I say no. Hell no! I already have a girlfriend, who I happen to be in love with."

She narrowed her eyes. "So? You can easily fall out of love with her. And besides, I'm offering you a chance to step up from that dingy bimbo you call a girlfriend."

He narrowed his eyes right back at her and stood up, glaring down at her. "To be with you would be a step down! It would be lower than dirt! The bottom of the food chain!"

She stood up and jabbed him hard with her finger. "And just what is unsatisfying about dating me?! I happen to be perfect!"

"Yeah! Perfectly insane!"

"You know what, forget I said anything! There are plenty of guys way cooler than you that I could get with at the snap of my fingers!"

"Well then I feel sorry for the poor bastard."

"Get out of my house!" Kitten screamed furiously.

"Gladly!" Wally screamed back, quickly taking his leave.

Kitten slammed the door behind him, her breathing labored. She didn't need Wally. He was just as bad as Ian. What she needed was someone who would give into her easily.

"Oh," she lifted her head, her eyes wide as a thought came to her. "There's an idea."

TT

Jenn tossed and turned as she laid stretched out on her couch. A sigh escaped her lips and she sat up, a frown on her face as she eyed her cell phone sitting on the coffee table. She wanted to call Wally... She wanted to check up on him, and more importantly she wanted to apologize to him.

He had every right to be mad at her after she handed him over to Kitten's claws, but she had her reasons. They couldn't just refuse Kitten, not when she had the dynamite that could blow their lives to hell. Sure, it sucked having to do whatever Kitten wanted, but it was the only way to protect them both.

As her hand reached out to grab her phone, Jenn heard the doorbell. Naturally, she went to go answer it. To her surprise and delight, standing on the other side of her door was Wally.

She clutched the knob as she locked eyes with him. "Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," he repeated. Removing his hand from behind his back he revealed the rose that he had been hiding. "I got this for you." She accepted his gift with a small smile. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah, come on in," she moved to the side to allow him in before shutting the door close. "I was actually just about to call you."

"Really," he cocked his head to the side and grinned. "Wanted to check up on me?"

She blushed. "Don't be a smartass!"

"I'm not trying to be. I was just wondering if it bothered you at all that I had to go on a date with Kitten, thanks to you."

"There was no other choice! We have to do what she wants!" Jenn yelled angrily, then inwardly cursed. So much for apologizing... but she couldn't help but yell when he blamed everything on her. It's not like she wanted him to go on the date.

Wally sighed and sat on the armrest of her couch. "Look, I didn't come here to argue with you. I wanted to tell you what happened on my date with Kitten."

"Okay," she crossed her arms. "So tell me about it."

"Kitten asked me to be her boyfriend."

Every fiber of her being urged at Jenn to kick and scream angrily, but instead her voice came out small and quiet. "Wha-What did you tell her?"

"Well... since we have to do whatever she says I said yes."

A look of horror came to Jenn's face.

Wally laughed. "Just kidding! I told her no," he laughed again and pointed at her. "You should have see the look on your face!"

Jenn's face turned red. "Wally, you bastard! That wasn't funny!"

She grabbed a nearby throw pillow and whacked him with it repeatedly until he cried uncle.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," he said, trying to shield himself from her assault.

She eventually stopped, but that didn't stop her from glaring at him. "Don't do something like that again, _ever_," she warned with menacing eyes. "Or else it won't be a pillow that I hit you with."

"I'm sorry," he apologized again. "But I just really wanted to see a reaction out of you. You weren't acting like yourself today."

She opened her mouth to justify her behavior, but he cut her off before she even got the chance.

"I know that Kitten is holding all the cards right now, but that doesn't mean you have to hide who you are. When you're angry, you're angry. And if you want to yell then that's okay."

"But Kitten--"

"Can't control every aspect of our lives," he took her hand in his. "We'll deal with Kitten telling us what to do for now, at least until we can figure out a way to be rid of her, but don't change who you are just because of the situation we're in."

She squeezed his hand, knowing full well that he was right. "I won't... and I'm sorry," she looked up at him. "Who knew you could be so smart."

"Hey! I've always been smart. Nobody ever takes the time to notice is all."

"Well smart boy, I think it's time you left," she said, standing up.

He stood up, too. "Why? I just got here."

"Yeah, but I'm still mad about that joke you made. And if I remember correctly, you told me to be angry when I'm angry and to not hide it."

"I didn't mean towards me," he said as she repeatedly poked him to get him moving towards the door. "Hey, don't I at least get a goodbye kiss?"

She opened the door and pushed him out. "No."

Wally turned around just in time to see the door shut. He looked at the door for a moment, his eyes wide with disbelief, when suddenly it reopened.

Jenn, giggling, reached out and took hold of his shirt, pulling him closer. "Just kidding," she said before planting a kiss on his lips.

TT

When Raven went to school the next morning she wasn't surprised to see Gar's seat empty. _Again_. In fact, his absence made things awfully clear to her, and so she took it upon herself to visit him when school had ended.

She went downstairs to his basement to see him laying on the couch, a variety of empty snack containers littered around him. Her face grimaced at the mess that was before her eyes.

"You really need to clean up in here," she pointed out as she crossed her arms.

Gar frowned and covered his eyes with his arms. "Go away, Raven. I don't want company."

"That much is clear due to you being absent from school two days in a row," she stepped closer to the couch. "It's because of Terra, right? You're afraid of running into her in school where you can't avoid her, so you're hiding out. I had no idea you were such a coward."

"It's none of your business," he groaned, turning over so his back was to her. He didn't want to deal with anyone and their lectures right now.

"It is my business when one of my best friends is concerned," she said as she gently put a hand on his shoulder. "Now turn around and look at me."

"No," he stubbornly replied, moving his shoulder away.

"I said turn around," she snapped, forcing him to look her way when she pushed his shoulder back.

"Leave me alone!" he yelled angrily as they became face to face.

"Don't yell at me just because you're mad over what Terra did!" she snapped.

He glared at her and reluctantly sat up. It was at that moment Raven felt as if she had taken one step to far.

"I'm sorry," she apologized softly.

"... What did you come here for anyway?" he asked, looking at her with cold eyes. "Do you want to rub it in my face? You must be pretty glad that you were right about Terra all along."

"Believe me... I never wanted something like this. I never wanted her to hurt you," she confessed. "And I _wish _that I was wrong about her. I'm really sorry that she wasn't the girl you thought she was."

He scoffed, the disbelief evident in his voice. "Sure you are."

"I am! You're not the only one who believed in her, Gar. We all did."

"Yeah... but you guys didn't get your heart broken."

"I know, and it's horrible, but that's no excuse to not show up at school."

Gar rolled his eyes. "Preach to me after _your _feelings have been stepped on."

"Would you at least consider it? I mean, Terra hasn't even showed her backstabbing face at school and I doubt she will," Raven said. "And even if she does come, you can just ignore her. You don't have to talk to her or even look at her if you don't want to. You can move on from Terra completely, and I'll even help you."

"Why don't you help yourself to the door, Raven."

The demand came from a voice Raven hadn't heard in awhile, and judging by the look on Gar's face he was just as surprised as she was. Turning around, Raven confirmed who it was, and immediately frowned. Standing in the basement was Terra, wearing a frown of her own as she glared at Raven. Raven glared right back at her and resisted the urge to pummel her to the ground until there was nothing left.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your face where you clearly don't belong," Raven growled, her fist clenched.

"Well you have a lot of nerve butting your nose into other peoples business," Terra countered. "What gives you the right to tell Gar what to do with his romantic life?"

Raven chuckled. "He doesn't have much of a romantic life now thanks to you. Did you have fun stringing him along all these months?"

"My feelings for Gar are genuine and it's none of your business, so why don't you just leave."

"And leave him here alone with you? So you can worm your way back into his life? I don't think so."

"Why don't you back off already!" Terra shouted furiously.

"Why don't you just leave!" Raven shouted back, full of wrath.

"_Enough_! Will the both of you just _shut up_!"

Gar's sudden outburst shocked both girls. Startled, they turned their attention towards him to see him rubbing his temples. They had been so caught up in their own argument they had forgotten he was in the room with them. Guiltily, they pursed their lips, unsure of how to continue. Both girls were unwilling to back down, but at the moment both were willing to bend for Gar's sake.

Gar rubbed his temples in a frustrated manner. He would have to have a talk with Rita later on and let her know which of his friends could visit him. Sighing, he looked at both girls. His gaze shifted from Raven to Terra as he contemplated what to do... Finally, his eyes settled on Terra.

"Terra," he began, locking eyes with her. "You have absolutely no right to come in here and order people around, especially after what you did."

Raven smiled slightly, feeling as if she had won the battle. "Guess that means you can leave now."

"Raven," Gar snapped, startling her. "I know you mean well, and I appreciate that you care, but you don't get to make decisions for me. Terra came here for a reason, and I want to hear her out."

Raven suddenly felt very small. Was Gar picking Terra over her?

Terra smirked in victory. "Guess that means _you _should leave."

"I don't want Raven to leave," Gar announced, surprising both girls. They both looked at him with wide eyes. "Whatever you have to say to me, Terra, you can say it in front of Raven."

Terra bit her lip, suddenly feeling very embarrassed. It was foolish of her to think that Gar would side with her over Raven after everything that she did to him and his friends. Even so, a part of her remained hopeful. He could have easily demanded that she leave, but he chose not to. He wanted her to stay. He wanted to listen to what she had to say. There was still a chance that he cared...

"I came here because I wanted to apologize to you for what I did," Terra confessed, completely ignoring the fact that Raven was in the room and focusing only on Gar. "I know I said it before, but you need to know how sorry I am. Gar, I love you and I regret helping Kitten so much. And I know I don't deserve you or your forgiveness, but I really am sorry. If you just give me one more chance I promise I'll make everything better again. Just please give me one more chance."

Raven was silently listening to Terra's pleas, and as she looked at the girl who not only betrayed Gar, but her as well, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her. The way Terra's eyes swelled up with tears, the way her voice struggled to get the words out, the way she looked at Gar with so much love, as if her whole world depended on him... Raven truly felt sorry for her... but no amount of pity was enough for her to wish that Gar would forgive Terra. If he was to forgive her, Raven was sure a part of herself would crumble. She didn't understand these feelings herself, all she knew was that she didn't want to lose Gar.

Gar, who had kept his eyes on the ground, finally looked up at Terra. He immediately felt his heart being pulled in every direction. He was still so very much in love with her, but he couldn't let go of his anger and pain. The anger and pain that she caused him.

"I... don't love you anymore," he lied, closing his eyes in fear that she would call him on his bluff.

Terra stepped closer. He didn't mean that. He couldn't mean that. She didn't want to lose him. "You don't mean that."

Gar remained silent. Finally, he stood up and stepped forward.

Terra's lips tugged into a smile as he drew closer. He was going to come to her. He was going to embrace her and forgive her. They would go back to normal.

Believing her assumptions were to become true, Terra reached out her hand, expecting him to take it. To her surprise and confusion he stopped walking once he reached Raven.

He looked at Terra with dull eyes before reaching out and grabbing Raven's hand. With one good yank he had pulled Raven to him and kissed her fully on the lips.

Terra dropped her extended hand in horror and looked at them with wide eyes. She couldn't contain her tears and allowed them to flow freely. Her heart felt as if it was ripping apart and she suddenly felt like trash.

By the time Gar had pulled away from the kiss, Raven's face was a hue of cherry red. He glanced at Terra's crying face and realized that his actions had hurt her deeply. What he had done was cruel, but he had wanted to hurt her as much as she had hurted him.

"I think you should leave, Terra," he said coldly, wrapping an arm around Raven's shoulders. Raven, still in a state of shock from that kiss, was numb and stuck in a stupor. "Unless you would rather stay and watch."

Terra remained speechless as more tears continued to pour down her cheeks. She turned away in a hurry, desperately wanting to leave and tripping along her way as she rushed to get out. Any hope that she had was now gone.

Once Terra was gone Gar removed himself from Raven's side and sighed loudly. He had taken little satisfaction from hurting Terra the way that he did, and was already regretting his actions. In that moment he hadn't acted like himself. _I guess having your heart broken does that to a person, _he thought.

He turned his attention to Raven, and upon seeing her frozen solid form, raised a brow. "Raven?"

No response.

He called her name again and this time even waved his hand in front of her face. Still no response. He snapped his fingers in front of her face and continued to call her name. It wasn't until he called her name loudly next to her ear that she responded.

"Idiot!" she jumped in surprise and struck him across the head. "Don't do that!"

"I'm sorry," he apologized as he rubbed his head.

"You should be. You shouldn't just go up to people and yell in there ear," she reprimanded, scowling. There was still a slight ringing in her ear.

"I wasn't apologizing because of that."

She looked at him, confused. "Then why--"

"I was apologizing for kissing you," he said briskly, blushing a crimson red. "I wanted to get back at Terra so I kissed you. It was stupid and wrong and I shouldn't have done it, so I'm really sorry."

"Oh...," Raven blushed as well and tried her best to laugh the incident off, but it only served to make the atmosphere feel even more awkward. "It's alright, no harm done." She cleared her throat. "I'm going to go home now, so I'll see you tomorrow."

Raven took quick strides towards the exit, and just as her hand reached the railing to the stairs she heard Gar call her name.

"Raven."

She paused immediately and slowly turned to look at him. "... What?"

He looked back at her, serious. "I'm not going to school tomorrow."

At the moment, she was glad to hear him say that. "Then I guess that means I won't see you."

She didn't say anything else and quickly climbed up the stairs. Once she was out of the basement she quickly said goodbye to Rita and left. She walked down the street, her arms crossed as the wind brushed her hair from side to side. Her eyes were lowered to the ground as she became lost in her own thoughts.

Gar kissed her.

Although the kiss meant nothing to both participants, Raven couldn't help but feel irritated by the way Gar had said their kiss was "stupid and wrong". _I had no idea that kissing me was considered to be such a tragedy_, Raven thought gloomy. _And to think I kind of enjoyed it._

As soon as that thought came to mind Raven froze in her walk, her cheeks turning a deep tomato red. She shook her head furiously, dispelling that thought. Once it was gone she continued her walk, thinking about everything and anything other than her kiss with Gar.

TT

After two days away from school Dick was becoming restless. He was bored with being cooped up in his new room and was beginning to feel lonely. His only company was Alfred; who was very busy with chores to do, and Bruce; who he hated talking to. The latter was pestering him about the destruction of his former room, and Dick refused to give him a straight answer, leading to nothing but bickering.

Bruce suspected Dick's destructive behavior and avoidance from school had something to do with Kori, but Dick had denied she had anything to do with it. If Bruce knew the truth Dick knew he would be lectured without end. The businessman already thought that Dick and Kori were to close for their own good, and if he knew the truth he would act rashly to make sure they spent little time together, if not none at all.

Although he was still furious with Kori for kissing Xavier, Dick was still very much in love with her. He just needed time away from her to cool off. The thought of them kissing was still fresh in his mind, and if he was to be around Kori he didn't know if he would be able to control himself from doing something stupid and hurtful. He couldn't take that risk, and so he decided he needed to keep his distance. The last thing he wanted was to blow up on her... even though he felt that was what she deserved.

She had kissed Xavier. Of all the people she could have kissed why did it have to be Xavier? _That dirty sneaky son of a bitch_, Dick thought angrily. If he could only have five minutes alone with Xavier, Dick would teach him a lesson he would never forget.

As Dick became lost in his own thoughts (very violent ones about beating Xavier to a bloody pulp) a very loud knock reached his ears. He sat up, thinking that maybe it was Alfred coming to ask him if he wanted anything, and was surprised when a familiar head of blonde hair marched into his room.

His eyes widened in shock. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Kitten merely smirked and tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder. "I came to see you. I have a proposition."

Before Dick could question her, Alfred rushed into the room.

"Master Dick, I am terribly sorry," the old butler apologized, catching his breath. He narrowed his eyes slightly at Kitten. "I know you didn't want any company, and I explained that to Miss Kitty--"

"Kitten," Kitten corrected, crossing her arms.

"Miss _Kitten_," Alfred said sourly. "But she refused to listen and stormed the premise before I could ask her to leave."

"It's alright, Alfred," Dick said, his gaze focused on Kitten. "She can stay."

Alfred was taken aback, but quickly gained back his composure. "Well then... If you need me I won't be far."

"Thank you, Alfred."

Alfred turned away and headed towards the door. Before leaving he looked back at Dick. "Master Dick, I advise you not to do anything foolish that will result in troublesome consequences."

With that being said Alfred took his leave, unaware that Kitten poked her tongue out on him, and closed the door shut behind himself.

"I get the feeling that he doesn't like me," Kitten mused out loud.

"Can you blame him?"

"Aw, Dickie-poo, don't be that way," Kitten cooed, stepping closer to his bed and smiling at him.

"You said you have a proposition for me," Dick mentioned, ignoring her flirtatious nature. "Do I even want to know what it is?"

"You're looking at it."

He eyed her and raised a brow. "You're offering yourself to me?"

She nodded.

"Why?"

"Because, I think we can be of use to each other," she said, placing her knee on his bed and leaning on the palm of her hands. "Think about it. Kori betrayed you. She went behind your back and kissed Xavier, the person you hate most. Wouldn't I be a delicious way of getting back at her."

Dick noticed how she seemed to move closer with each word but did nothing to stop her. "And how would this be of benefit to you?"

"It would serve the same purpose for both of us. It'll crush Kori," she ran a finger down his cheek to his chin and rested the palm of her hand on Dick's chest. "Who knows... maybe something interesting might happen along the way."

It was a dangerous dance that Dick was engaging Kitten in, listening to her and allowing her to be so close. He really should have pushed her away, but he was curious as to what she was getting at. "Like what?"

"I don't know...," she teased as she undid the top button to his shirt. "Maybe you'll realize a girl like me is much better suited for you. Maybe you'll even fall in love with me."

He pulled her hand away harshly and looked at her with cold eyes. "You can't manipulate me. I'm not the same guy I was back when we were dating."

She pulled her hand away and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "You're not as stupid as you look."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," he said as he got off the bed and moved as far away from her as possible. He should have let Alfred haul her off when he had the chance. "You know where the door is."

Kitten didn't move an inch. "Are you sure you don't want to reconsider my offer? After all, I can give you the one thing Kori refuses to give you."

He raised a brow at her and crossed his arms. "And what's that?"

"Sex."

"How did you...," Dick ran a hand across his face. "Terra..."

"I must say I'm actually surprised you and Kori haven't gone to bed yet. It must be _very _frustrating for you."

It was, but he wasn't going to admit that to her. "We're waiting."

"But I bet you don't want to," she stood up from the bed and took a few steps forward. "I'm giving you a chance to release all of that pent up sexual frustration inside of you."

"I'm with Kori," he replied irritably. One of Kitten's talents was knowing how to provoke someone, and she was going an excellent job of that at the moment. "She's the only person I want to be with."

"To bad the only person she wants to be with is Xavier."

Dick clenched his fist, a scowl on his face.

Kitten sighed. "Fine, don't break up with Kori. There are other options... like, maybe having me as a mistress. Think of how much fun that would be, the two of us sneaking around. It'll be out little secret."

Dick turned his gaze towards her, his eyes cold. "Get the fuck out of my house."

Kitten's face turned red with embarrassment and rage. "Fine! Stay with your precious Kori! Just remember that Xavier will always be a third wheel."

With that being said she left his room, making sure to slam the door behind herself.

TT

After seeing Gar kiss Raven, Terra was devastated. She couldn't stop crying after that, and had roamed the streets in a desperate attempt to find something, anything, that would make her pain go away.

She eventually found something that released her momentarily from all of life's worries, and that was cocaine.

And now, as the sun shined through her bedroom window, she was regretting ever taking that drug in the first place.

It wasn't the first time she had ever used drugs, but it was her first experience using cocaine. It had momentarily granted her freedom, but that temporary freedom now caused her to have a high fever, and to make matters worse the memory of Gar kissing Raven was still burned into her mind.

Terra whimpered as she tossed on her side. She didn't feel good at all. _It serves me right_, she thought sadly. _I'm self destructive._

_"You can say that again," _Raven mocked, leaning against Terra's bedroom door.

Terra sat up and rubbed her eyes. Why was Raven in her room? "What are you doing here?"

_"I came to watch you suffer. I must say, it is very entertaining."_

Terra fell back in bed, shielding her eyes. "Go away..."

_"After everything that you did you deserve this. You deserve to suffer. You deserve to be alone."_

"Please, just stop," Terra begged. "I feel bad enough already."

_"Not as bad as I did. I trusted you and you betrayed me. You betrayed us all!"_

"I didn't mean to."

_"That's crap and you know it. You're just a selfish bitch."_

Terra shielded her ears. "Just leave me alone."

_"No wonder why Gar hates you."_

"Shut up!" Terra cried, sitting up to glare at her. However, when she looked up, no one was there.

TT

Fifth period had ended, and before she advanced towards her next class Kori had to make a quick stop at the girls bathroom. She pulled out her cell phone and checked to see if she had received any messages. She was disappointed to find she had none. Although she had repeatedly left Dick messages, he had yet to reply back to her. Kori couldn't take it anymore. Just how much longer did he plan on ignoring her?

There was no time to ponder this, for she had to get to class. Kori excited the restroom, but upon doing so she ran into someone she didn't want to see.

Standing before her was Babs.

The two girls locked eyes with each other and remained frozen, unsure of what to do next. They hadn't spoken to each other and had rarely seen each other since Kitten revealed everyones secrets.

Kori swallowed and made the first move. With her head held high she calmly walked past Babs and continued on her way.

Shocked by how Kori ignored her, Babs trailed after the stunning red head. "Kori, wait. I need to talk to you."

"Why?" Kori asked, turning around, her eyes narrowed. "Do you want to chase after my boyfriend some more? Pretend to be my friend? Or do you want to call me every ugly name in the book?"

"I... wanted to apologize," Babs replied softly, hurt by Kori's cold nature.

"It's a little bit to late for that," Kori responded briskly, heading towards the stairs. She didn't feel like attending class now thanks to Babs.

Determined to earn Kori's forgiveness, Babs followed her. "Would you just listen to me?!" Babs cried as she followed Kori down the stairs. "I know what I did was wrong, but I'm sorry!"

Kori turned to her, pausing in her step, and glared at her former friend. "Sorry isn't good enough."

Kori turned to continue her way down the stairs but was hindered when Babs took hold of her arm.

"I know you're angry at me, but if you would just let me explain--"

"I don't have to listen to you! We're not friends anymore, so let me go!" Kori snapped, pulling her arm away.

Babs, at first, had not let go in an attempt to keep Kori there with her so they could talk things out, but Kori was the stronger of the two and eventually succeeded in freeing her arm. However, upon jerking her arm free, Kori lost her balance and tumbled backwards, falling down the stairs. It was with a loud thud that Kori landed on the bottom of the stairs, unconscious.

Babs gasped in horror, her eyes wide. It took her a moment to get over her stupor before she slowly descended the stairs to reach Kori's side. Unsure of what to do, Babs softly called the girl's name.

"Kori?... Oh my God, Kori," Babs received no response and began to scream for help, her words filled with panic. "Help! Somebody help!"

TT

Terra was being haunted.

She knew this because during the past few hours she had spoken to Raven, Karen, Jenn, Wally, Toni, Kori, Dick, Roy, and Vic. Each one had appeared before her in her bedroom, telling her how badly she had messed everything up and that she was a terrible person. They appeared for only a few minutes each, five minutes at most, before disappearing.

However, this was not the case when Gar appeared before her. His presence had refused to leave her alone, and in a desperate attempt to be rid of him Terra had fled her home, despite the fact that her brother had ordered her to stay in bed before leaving for work.

Her plan had worked for a little while, but it didn't take long for Gar to soon reappear before her eyes.

_"It was really stupid of you to leave home while you're still sick,"_ Gar commented before laughing.

Terra ignored him and continued on her way, rubbing her head. She thought she should have gone home right away, but she decided not to. She hated being cooped up. "Shut up and go away," she told him. "You're not real."

_"I'm real enough to bother you."_

She ignored him and sat on a bench. "I feel really hot..."

_"That's because of your fever. Maybe you should go cool off."_

She looked up to see him smiling at her.

_"Why don't you go to a pool."_

TT

Gar was frantically searching for Terra after receiving a distressed call from Brion. After having returned home from work early, Brion was shocked to find his apartment empty of Terra. He had tried calling her cell phone many times but to no avail. Finally, he decided to call Gar, thinking that she was with him. Gar was surprised that Brion had called him, but figured that maybe his sister forgot to mention their breakup.

At first Gar wasn't going to concern himself with Terra's unknown whereabouts, but his love and worry for the missing girl was stronger than any anger he was currently holding.

Before he knew it he had ran out of his house and was searching the streets for her.

His search had turned out to be unsuccessful, and all the running around that he had done resulted in him feeling completely drained. He had deemed the situation as a lost cause and decided to take a cab back home.

As he sat in the back seat of the cab, Gar gazed out the window in worry. Where could have Terra disappeared to? What were her reasons for running off?

He sighed dejectedly, turning his head to the side to look out the other window, when his eyes spotted a familiar shade of blonde hair.

TT

"I could get in a lot of trouble for being here," Terra stated. "This pool doesn't open for at least two more weeks."

"_Since when do you care about trouble?" _Gar asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. "_Don't worry about it. No one is around, so it's fine."_

"I can't swim," she reminded him, her eyes focused on the crystal clear water.

_"You're just going in for a little dip."_

"What if I drown?"

Silence engulfed the air around her and she looked up to see if he was still there. He was, and he looked at her with cold eyes.

Terra could feel the tears coming to her eyes. "You must really hate me... and I deserve it, too."

He was silent, and slowly he pointed at the diving board. Terra looked up to see what he was pointing at, and when she looked back he was gone. She turned her eyes back towards the diving board and headed straight towards it.

TT

Gar was sure he had seen Terra, he was sure of it, but as he looked around he was beginning to doubt himself. He pushed his doubt to the side and continued to look for Terra, passing by a large fence that served as a barrier to an outside public swimming pool.

Gar ran his fingers across the fence. Pretty soon the pool would open... Maybe he could take Terra to the pool and teach her how to swim, but of course before that could happen he would have to find her and apologize to her.

It wasn't until Brion had told him that she was missing that Gar realized how pointless his anger was. What Terra did was horrible, but she made a mistake and she was sorry. As soon as he found her, Gar promised to make things right between them. He needed to let her know how much he loved her.

Gar continued to walk alongside the fence, but out of the corner of his eye he spotted a girl on the diving board. He turned his head to get a better look, and to his horror he realized that the girl on the diving board was Terra.

He watched as Terra took one step off the diving board and plunged into the deep water below...

And at that moment he felt as if his entire world had come to an abrupt end.

"TERRA!"

TT

He had to move quickly.

He had to get to her. He had to get to her before it was to late.

Gar climbed up the fence as fast as he could, and once he was on the other side he sprinted towards the pool and dived in.

TT

Kori stirred in her sleep and tiredly blinked open her green eyes. Once her eyes were fully open, the first thing she saw was an ugly grey ceiling. She didn't know where she was, and the only thing she was aware of was the pain in her head. Turning her head to the side she hoped to see someone who could explain things to her, and the person her eyes fell upon was Dick.

He was looking out the window, unaware that Kori had woken up.

Kori couldn't believe her eyes. Was he really there? "Dick?"

He turned to her in surprise, and upon seeing her open eyes he smiled broadly. He quickly took the empty seat by her bed and leaned forward. "You're finally awake. I was--"

She couldn't have cared less of what he had to say. She was unbelievably happy that he was there.

"Dick!" she said gleefully before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a passionate kiss.

They broke away after a few seconds and smiled at each other.

"Nice kiss," Dick commented, smiling.

She giggled, but the delightful moment was cut short by a sharp throb of pain in her head, causing her to wince.

"Easy," Dick said softly. "You had a nasty fall down the stairs and hit your head badly."

"Where am I?"

"The hospital."

"Why are you here?"

He looked at her, perplexed. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She looked away, her fingers fiddling. "Aren't you still mad at me?"

Dick looked away. "I was... I was so furious that I...," he gulped.

Kori looked at him curiously. "That you_ what_?"

Dick sighed, knowing full well that he had to tell her the truth. "Kitten came over to my place yesterday. She wanted me to become her boyfriend or lover, something along those lines... I'm not going to lie to you, Kori, I was considering it."

She turned away from him, unsure of what to think or feel. "If you were considering it then why are you still here?" she glared at him. "Shouldn't you be with her?"

Dick didn't let her anger bother him and replied to her calmly. "I didn't accept her offer."

"Why not?"

"Because I love you. Because I don't want any other girl. You're the only one I want."

"Then why have you been ignoring me these past few days?" she asked, tears in her eyes.

"Because I was angry and jealous that you and Xavier kissed."

"I don't love him! And he kissed me," she explained as she unsuccessfully tried to wipe away her tears.

Dick embraced her and buried his face in her hair. "I'm sorry."

TT

Dick exited the hospital's elevator. He was glad to have cleared things up with Kori, and more importantly he was glad that she wasn't in any serious danger from that fall she took down the stairs.

As Dick walked forward he passed by the waiting room, and from the corner of his eye he spotted a boy with a head of green hair. Positive he knew who that head of green hair belonged to, he stepped forward.

"Gar," he began once he was standing before him. "What are you doing here?"

There was a long pause of silence, and for a moment Dick thought he was mistaken. However, he was proved correct when that head of green hair lifted up to look him in the eyes.

It was Gar, Dick noted upon seeing the face clearly, although he was taken aback to see the condition of his friend's face. Gar's eyes were fulled with tears, and his cheeks acted as the runway for those tears that trailed downwards.

Dick was immediately worried. "Gar, what happened?"

Gar's lower lip trembled as he struggled to speak. "T... Terra..."

"Gar, what happened?" Dick asked firmly.

Gar looked at him with a heartbroken expression...

"Terra died."

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO Emily Snow12, xOnE sOnG gLoRyx, Hexanna, BerryDrops, MiaPatli'sBlackMoonroses, XxGraysonGirlxX, clarkLover1, sparklebluelemon, Kichi Penn, Because Lover is WAY Over-rated, iBelieveInAngels, Star of Airdrie, xXraincloudXx, cookiegurl15, Daniella TT, Star 4 Robin, Agent of the Divine One, Romancelover1321, Little Miss Juliet, cutelilbunnyfufu4ever, Elle Wednesday, mythica magic, Errant Wrath, TeenTitansFreakFan, Trimacle, Aphrodite96, IcePrincess, tennisgal456, Kick Ass Kids, BGuate224, scribbles by me, xxScriblezxx, RobinFan, stardust718, Saffire55, RoseXxxXThorn, AND sweetnsxy FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS THAT I DON'T DESERVE. I'M SO GLAD THAT MY STORY HAS READERS LIKE YOU GUYS WHO ALWAYS HAVE SUCH NICE THINGS TO SAY. YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO WITHOUT YOU GUYS.**

**EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS TO xXraincloudXx FOR BEING THE 1,200 REVIEWER! YOU WIN A FREE QUESTION! YOU GET TO ASK ME ANYTHING ABOUT THE Sick Cycle Carousel Series. CHOSE YOUR QUESTION WISELY BECAUSE YOU ONLY GET ONE!**

**EXTRA, EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS TO... BGuate224, MiaPatli'sBlackMoonroses, Canadianth22, NashWalker, Kichi Penn, wafflestarpeace97, sexyvampirechick, BerryDrops, AND Because Love is WAY Over-rated WHO SHOWED CONCERN IN THE CONDITION OF Hanging By A Moment AND SENT ME MESSAGES THAT KEPT ME GOING.**

Dear Readers of HBAM,

I am SO unbelievably sorry that it has taken me forever to update. I know that I do not deserve forgiveness, and so I won't ask for it. I do want you all to know though that I am truly sorry that it has taken this long.

There is no excuse for my absence. Sure, I have school and activities that I have to attend to, but even so I should have taken an hour, or half an hour, every day to spend time working on my stories. I didn't do that. I kept saying "I'll get to it later" and I never did...

I admit that I have been busy these past few months, what with applying to colleges and all, but there's also another reason as to why it has taken me so long to update.

Truthfully speaking I am one _lazy_ bitch.

I admit that after a long day of school my first instinct is not starting on the new chapter of HBAM, or even starting my homework. My first instinct is taking off my shoes, sitting on the couch, and watching my favorite soap opera. Also eating my mom's cooking, that's my instinct.

However, despite my horrible disgusting problem, I REALLY want to finish this story. I really do. I am so determined to finish it! I want to finish it for many reasons.

One, because I owe it to everyone who put time into this story. Not just myself, but all of you guys who took time out to read and leave reviews. Every review and every hit that my story got made me really happy, so I want to make you guys happy by finishing this story. Plus, I have invested too much time into HBAM to quit on it.

Two, I want to finish this story so I can FINALLY move on to other projects that I have planned.

Three, before this story was even created I made a vow to finish all my stories, and I don't care how long it takes me, I will keep that promise.

I'm sure there are other reasons but at the moment I can't think of any...

Um, look, I know I have absolutely no right to ask this of any of you, but please do not give up on this story. I know that at times it takes me forever to update, but I can assure all of you that I am still around and that I have not forgotten about this story, or you guys for that matter. Fanfiction is a big part of my life and I am no where near ready to give it up. I still have so much more that I want to do.

Also, I feel terrible that it has taken me this long to update. And like I said before, I'm not going to ask for forgiveness because I don't deserve it, but I will ask for the opportunity to make it up to you guys. How about we do this; everyone can give me a suggestion on how I can make things up to you guys, and I'll take all the suggestions and turn it into a poll on my profile. Then you guys can vote on what I can do.

Again, I am REALLY sorry.

Love, cartoonstar.

P.S. Only seven more chapters until the story is finished! And also, wow! This is my longest chapter ever! You can even subtract this author's note and it's still my longest chapter EVER!

This chapter is named after the song _**Fallen**_ by _**Sarah McLachlan **_and is on her album _**Afterglow**_.

**NEXT CHAPTER: TERRA'S FUNERAL.**

**ALTHOUGH I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT TO DO THIS, I WILL DO IT ANYWAY...**

**REVIEW**

**REVIEW**

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	54. Let me catch you when you fall

_The sound of seagulls flying high above into the clouds and the smell of salt water could only mean one thing to Gar. The beach. After sticking his large beach umbrella in the sand he got to work on the blanket. After spreading it out neatly he placed a small rock on each corner to insure its safety from the wind._

_Standing up Gar brushed off his white shorts, knocking away any grains of sand that were attached. He then rolled up the sleeves to his white button up shirt. Looking around he took in the scenary. A clean beach, bright blue sky, and gentle waves from the sea. It was almost perfect, but something was missing. Or rather someone. Someone who he could place in this scenary before him that would make everything perfect._

_"Gar."_

_His ear twitched at the soft voice and he could feel his heart speed up from excitement. Turning around he faced the owner of the voice. Long blone hair, blue eyes, and a thin body covered in a modest white swimsuit. _

_"Terra," he whispered._

_She tucked her hair behind her ears, her eyes darting towards the ground in an attempt to find something interesting to look at. His gaze on her was almost too much to handle. "Hey, could you stop looking at me please. It's embarrassing."_

_Gar chuckled and tucked his hands in his pockets. He smiled, showing his teeth. "Why? I like looking at you. And you look really great in that swimsuit."_

_"You look nice too," she replied, ruffling his hair. A laugh escaped her lips. "For a midget with green hair."_

_"A mean comment like that could only be defeated by a tickle attack," he warned, his eyes twinkling mischievously._

_She laughed and ran, Gar hot on her heels._

_They continued on like this for awhile, just the two of them on this private beach were no one could see them embracing or kissing or holding each others hands. It was the perfect place for a young couple in love. _

_Eventually the blue sky took on a different hue. Instead of one solid color the blue had now partnered itself with purple and orange and pink. It was a picture of loveliness, one to be admired but it went on being ignored by Gar who had taken a seat under the umbrella. His eyes were focused only on Terra._

_She walked along the water, her feet getting soaked as it swept across the sand and withdrew. Gar grinned and rested his chin on his knees. He was happy. So incrediably happy._

_Then, within an instant, everything changed._

_The once brightly colored sky became gloomy as it turned grey and black. The calm wind now whistled and howled angrily, stealing the umbrella that once resided above Gar's head. Gar jumped in surprise, and once he did that the blanket he had been sitting on followed the umbrella._

_"What the hell..."_

_This was no place to be. It was too dangerous and ugly. Gar turned around. He had to grab Terra and get out of here as soon as possible. His eyes landed on her back, but he saw something else as well. Ahead of Terra was a tremendous wave. Tera stood frozen in fright, unable to tear her eyes away from the approaching danger._

_"Terra!" Gar called out, rushing towards her._

_"Terra!"_

_He hadn't even gotten very far when something took hold of him, causing him to fall. Gar looked down to see what it was and almost screamed in terror when he saw that it was a hand belonging to a skeleton. His eyes widened as the arm belonging to the hand rised out of the sand, followed by it's black cloaked body. After it's body was out, it's free hand reached down into the sand and pulled out a scythe. _

_**"You can't save her... The girl belongs to me now..."**_

_Gar gritted his teeth and kicked the cloaked figure away. He quickly stood up and sprinted towards Terra. He had to save her._

_"Terra!"_

_The wave was even bigger now. And closer._

_"Terra!"_

_Someone grabbed his arm. He turned and was startled to see it was the cloaked figure._

_**"Time's up, boy..."**_

_Helplessly he looked back at Terra, tears streaming down his face as he watched the wave swallow her whole..._

"TERRA!"

With a scream Gar jolted up from his bed, his heart beating rapidly and his body covered in a thin layer of sweat. He stuggled to catch his breath, and as soon as he did he calmly scanned his room. There was his wind up monkey, his small television, and his closet which he was unable to close due to his large collection of things. There was no sand here. No water.

He sighed. "It was just a dream," he said to himself. "All of it was just a dream."

His eyes then settled on the black suit on the hanger which hung from the knob of his bedroom door. That's when he realized, that although it was just a dream, something entirely fictional, there was some truth in it.

Terra was dead.

And it was all his fault.

TT

"This is all your fault you know," Mandy snapped, her face twisted into a scowl.

Kitten, who was sunbathing outside in her yard, removed her sunglasses. She smiled. "Mandy! You should have told me you were coming over," she patted the seat beside her. "Sit. I'll tell the maid to fetch you a swim suit so we can have a dip in the pool. It's been awhile since you and I spent quality time together."

"I didn't come here to swim," Mandy snarled, standing her ground.

"Oh," Kitten returned her sunglasses back to her eyes, sounding bored. "Then why did you come here?"

"You know damn well why. This is all your fault, Kitten. You're the one responsible for Terra's death!"

Kitten sat up defensively. "I am not! And lower your voice! I don't want my parents hearing that sort of bullshit."

"Bullshit? You think this is bullshit? A girl died, Kitten, because of you."

"Because of me? Newsflash, Mandy, I'm not to blame. Terra killed herself. Okay? She committed suicide."

"Maybe so, but it was your actions that drove her there. You pushed her into Kori's group so she could destroy them, and once they found out the truth she was devastated. She was alone and depressed-"

"She was a tramp! She was a greedy whore, okay! So what if she's gone? It has nothing to do with me!"

There was a pause and Kitten used this moment to catch her breath.

"I thought she was your friend."

Kitten laughed, shocking Mandy. "Oh please. Terra and I were never friends."

Kitten's words sent off alarms in Mandy's head. She knew Kitten was a cruel uncaring person, but she continued to ignore that. Sure, there were some instances where she told her off, but they were never strong enough to make her stop turning a blind eye to her friend's actions. But now, every alarm in her head was telling her that enough was enough. She could no longer ignore the fact that Kitten was a horrible evil person.

"You know," Mandy began. "I came over here to tell you off. I thought, like usual, I could get my say in, let you know what I though, and then we would go back into our usual pattern of wearing matching clothes occassionally and shopping... But I can't do that this time."

Kitten raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?" Mandy locked eyes with the girl infront of her. "Kitten, you're a bitch."

Her jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

"You're a bitch," Mandy repeated. "You're a mean girl. And... I don't want to be your friend anymore."

Silence engulfed the two girls. Kitten tried to make sense of Mandy's words, but she just couldn't understand it. What did she mean she didn't want to be friends? Why? That made no sense. She hadn't done anything wrong. As Kitten tried to make sense of the situation the clicking of heels registered in her ears. She snapped back to attention and realized Mandy was walking away. She was walking away from her. From their friendship.

She immediately got out of her seat and ran towards Mandy. "Wait! Wait a minute!"

Mandy paused and turned around. The two blondes locked eyes.

Kitten removed her sunglasses. "What do you think you're doing? Why all of a sudden... you're saying something like that?"

"Because, Kitten, I can't stand it anymore. I can't stand _you _anymore."

"Mandy... please... You're one of the few friends that I actually have."

Mandy lowered her gaze. From this action Kitten got her answer.

Kitten clenched her fist. "Fine then! Go! I don't need you! I'm Kitten Moth! And if you think you're just going to get away with this, you have another thing coming bitch. I'll ruin you, just like I ruined Kori and her friends. You're regret this! You'll-"

"Just shut up already!" Mandy shouted, her fist clenched as well. "This is exactly why nobody likes you, Kitten! All you do is bully people! You want the truth? Everyone hates you! You're a disgusting person! This is exactly why _Dickie-poo _always chose Kori over you!"

Kitten found herself unable to respond as her entire body went stiff.

Mandy turned and headed for the backdoors to Kitten's house. She wanted to get out here as soon as possible. However, she paused, for there was one more thing that needed to be said.

"Kitten, just so you know, don't count on Cindy remaining your friend. Wanna know why? Because she's scared of you. And that's going to drive her away from you."

With that being said Mandy disappeared, leaving Kitten alone. The blonde mutely walked back to her seat and sat down. She went over everything that just happened, causing her anger to boil. She took a glass cup that resided on the table next to her seat and threw it as far as she could, screaming as it shattered into dozens of pieces.

TT

Wally and Jenn sat in the back booth of their favorite pizzaria. Two unfinished slices of pepporoni pizza sat in front of them, their drinks only half empty. Jenn nervously twisted a napkin in her hand and then proceeded to tear it to pieces, making confetti that fell to her lap. Seeing this Wally took hold of one of her hands, entertwining their fingers. The couple was nervous, so nervous they couldn't eat or talk. They were told to come here by the last person they would have expected with a promise that there was a way for them to get out of Kitten's claws. They didn't know if this was a trick of not, so they didn't get their hopes up, but they did show up just in case there really was a way to declaw Kitten.

The door to the pizzaria opened and both Wally and Jenn immediately looked up. They spotted out Mandy, and it didn't take her long to spot them out. She then proceeded to their booth and took the empty space facing them.

"Sorry I took so long," she said as she placed her purse beside her. "There was something else I had to take care of."

"That's fine," Wally said. "Uh, if you're hungry I can order you a pizza. Or a drink maybe?"

"No that's fine. I don't plan on staying for long. I just really needed to talk to you both."

Jenn crossed her arms. "And why is that exactly? On the phone you said you had a way to help us. Were you telling the truth or is this all another plan from Kitten?"

"I can promise you this isn't some task Kitten sent me to do. Look, there really is no reason for you guys to trust me, and I don't blame you. For years I've been going along with everything Kitten said, and I'm sorry for that, I really am, but that's not me anymore. I'm done with Kitten. We're not friends anymore."

Wally locked eyes with the apologetic girl before him and smiled. "Good for you."

Mandy smiled back, feeling at ease. "Thanks."

Jenn frowned. "Okay, so you guys aren't friends anymore. Where does that leave Wally and I?"

"Well, since I'm no longer Kitten's friend I figured that means I should start doing things my way. Starting with this," she paused a moment to go inside her purse and pulled out a DVD. She then placed it on the table and pushed it towards the couple sitting on the other side. "I'm no longer apart of her plan, so I don't need to help her. The ones I need to help are you two."

Wally picked up the DVD, turning it over in his hand. "What's this?"

"The proof that Kitten had on you guys," Mandy answered. Her answer shocked both Wally and Jenn, causing their eyes to widen and they both looked at her in surprise. "It's yours."

"And there are no copies?" Jenn asked suspicious, raising an eyebrow. It was hard for her to believe in Mandy due to their history together.

"I promise you that is the only one. Kitten was so giddy her plan was falling into place that she wasn't smart enough to think to make copies," Mandy assured her, grabbing her purse and standing up. She stepped away from the booth, only to step back a second later. "... I'm sorry there's nothing I can do for your friends."

"You've done a lot with this," Wally replied, patting the DVD on the table. "Thank you."

She nodded and then left. Once she was out of the pizzaria Wally turned to Jenn.

"What now?"

Jenn picked up the disc, holding it in both hands. It was so thin and light. Something so tiny almost ruined her entire life. Her eyes narrowed. "We destroy this thing. As soon as possible."

"Uh... okay, but... Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"Curious?" she raised an eyebrow when she looked at him. "About what?"

"You know...," Wally struggled, his cheeks turning the color of his hair. "Don't you want to watch it at least once?"

Jenn sighed, and before Wally could do anything about it she pinched his nose and wouldn't let go. "Sometimes you can be really stupid, you know that?"

She let go and glared at him. He knew when he was defeated. Wally smiled sheepishly. "So... should we snap it in two or smash it with a hammer?"

She smirked. "Now you're speaking my language."

TT

It was another school day and the gang were at lunch. They were able to sit almost comfortably today. Due to Terra's suicide the school's population had drifted their focus into mourning the girl, causing their small group to disappear from the radar almost completely. Even so, it was bitter sweet.

"Did you guys see Gar at the funeral?" Kori asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had settled in while everyone was in the midst of their lunch. "He looked so sad..."

"I was really surprised to see that he didn't cry at all," Toni confessed. "He just sat there like a zombie."

"Maybe we should go look for him," Roy suggested. "It's already the middle of lunch and he's still not here yet."

"No. If Gar wants to come sit with us he will. We need to give him space if that's what he wants," Dick said.

"I'm surprised he even came to school today," Jenn commented.

"Maybe Rita thought it would be a good thing if he was surrounded by his friends," Raven mused. "I doubt Gar wants to be here, or that he willingly came."

"Do you think maybe he cut school?" Wally asked.

Raven shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past him. That's what I would do if I was in his situation."

Karen sighed. "I wish Vic was here. Him and Gar are like brothers. I'm sure having his best friend here would have been a great comfort to him."

"What's going on with Vic anyway?" Roy asked. "Is Mr. Wilson still trying to get him expelled?"

"Nope," Kori answered after putting down her soda. "There was no actual proof that proved the drugs belonged to Vic."

"However, since it was found in Vic's locker he still gets suspended for a couple of days," Dick finished.

"Hey, everyone, here comes Gar," Wally announced. "Everyone act normal!"

Jenn pinched his ear, causing him to whine. "Idiot, the only one not acting normal is you."

The table went silent as Gar approached. When he reached them he dropped his bag of lunch on top of the table and took his seat. He then proceeded to take his things out of small, brown paper bag. A small package of chocolate chip cookies, a tofu sandwich, and a bottle of soda. He decided on eating the cookies first, and after a few bites everyone thought it was safe to continue on as normal. However, they all secretly glanced at Gar, worried that at any moment he would break down or snap.

The silence was then broken by a visitor. The gang was surprised to see Elliot of all people standing by their table.

"Greetings," Elliot announched politely.

"Hi, Elliot," Toni replied, eye twitching. Of all people to come by why did it have to be the annoying Elliot.

"I just came to speak to Salad Head for a moment," Elliot stated. All eyes turned to Gar who was in the midst of eating a cookie. Gar turned his attention towards Elliot, and seeing this Elliot cleared his throat. "I just wanted to express my deepest condolences to you for losing the Earth Maiden."

Everyone (but Gar and Elliot) had a look of shock on their face. Earth Maiden was the nickname Elliot had given Terra.

"She was a beautiful girl, and you were a beautiful couple," Elliot continued, not noticing Gar had stood up. "I even wrote a poem in her memory for you to-Hey, where are you going?"

Gar had risen from his seat and was already walking away. Raven stood up and proceeded after him leaving a dumbfounded Elliot behind.

"Don't take it personally, Elliot," Kori said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "We think it's probably still to early to mention Terra around Gar."

Elliot's cheeks were a deep red. "Oh, of course. My apologies, Star Angel. Oh, perhaps you all will like to hear my poem instead."

The group answered immediately. "No!"

Meanwhile... Raven had just finished catching up to Gar in an empty hallway. He was keeping a fast pace and Raven had to jog to catch up with him.

"Hey, would you just wait a minute," she requested, frustrated. "Look, I know Elliot can be a real dope at times but you didn't have to be so rude."

He didn't say anything back. He just kept walking.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

He stopped then, much to Raven's surprise. There was a pause.

"Raven," he began softly, his voice cold and harsh. "Just leave me alone."

"Leave you alone?" she repeated. "Leave you alone? Gar, I can't do that. Look, I know your hurting, and I'm sorry, but I'm your friend! I'm just trying to help you."

"I don't want your help!" he shouted, turning on her. "I don't want help from anyone! I just want to be left _alone_!"

Raven's eyes widened and she froze. Gar lowered his gaze. He knew he should apologize, but at the moment he was to angry. Not at Raven, or the others, or even Elliot. He was mad at himself. He gritted his teeth... The agony in his chest was to overwhelming. He needed to go, get away from here. He felt like the walls were closing in on him. Turning on his heel Gar sprinted down the hall, running as fast as he could.

Raven was about to chase after him, but then she recalled his words. He made it very specific he didn't want her help, that he wanted to be left alone. Although it saddened her to see him go Raven did not chase after him.

TT

School had long since ended and the afternoon came and went, changing into the evening. Raven sat on top of Kori's bed, her knees drawn to her chest. She was still downcast after her moment in the school hallway with Gar, something Kori picked on, leading to the moment they were sharing now.

Kori ran a brush through Raven's short purple hair. Normally Raven never let her do something like this, but the goth girl was feeling low today and strangely enough found comfort in this action.

"Try not to let it bother you so much, Raven," Kori said. "Gar isn't in a good place right now is all. You'll see, once things calm down, he'll go back to his regular self."

She sighed. "I know... It's just..."

Kori paused. "Just what?"

Raven shook her head. "Nevermind. It doesn't matter."

Kori raised a brow, ready to pry, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. It opened, revealing Kori's mother.

"Girls," she began hesitantly. "Rita's on the phone... Gar's missing."

TT

Frantically they took to the streets searching every place they thought Gar might be. The school, the park, the arcade, all of his favorite places to eat... but nothing. Their search was already going over a span of two hours and mother nature was not in their favor. Not only was it getting darker outside, but a downpour of rain suddenly reared its wet head.

Kori found herself at Gar's favorite game store and called Dick for an update. "How's the search going?"

"Same as it was twenty minutes ago. Nobody has seen Gar and there's still no response from his cell phone," Dick answered.

"Well he has to be somewhere. Where could he have gone that we haven't checked yet?"

"No idea. Hey, it's getting late, and I don't think this rain is going to end any time soon. You should go home."

"But-"

"Go home and rest, Kori," Dick commanded softly. "Last thing we need is something happening to you too."

Kori pouted. She didn't want to give in but Dick was right. "Okay, fine. I'll go home... I love you."

"I love you too, Kori."

Kori placed her phone in her purse and then proceeded to the door. Before she left, a tall and thin boy blocked her path. He pushed up his glasses.

"You single?" he asked before taking a whiff of his inhaler and tossing his hair back.

"Uh... no."

"Oh... Well ever thought about having a new guy in your life?" he wiggled his eyebrows.

There was a pause.

"Get lost," Kori commanded seriously.

"Yeah okay," the boy said immediately, scurring off. As he took off something fell from his pocket.

"Hey, wait, you dropped something," Kori said as she bent down to pick up the fallen item.

It was a card advertising a new video game called Zombie Cemetery. Kori groaned. She hated video games like this. They were always really scary, however she ended up smiling. A game like this, she was sure Gar would love to play it. She could just picture him now rushing off to purchase this game and playing it all day... She blinked. Zombie Cemetery... Cemetery...

She gasped and rushed out of the store.

TT

Gar sat with his knees drawn to his chest and his gaze set forward. _Terra Markov, _he read from the grey tomestone, _A diamond in the rough. _Only Brion could say so much by saying so little when it came to Terra. Brion... he had come up to him when the funeral was over and had asked him to keep in touch, yet Gar hadn't spoken a word to him since. How could he after everything he did. He broke his precious little sister's heart. He failed to save her.

Gar clutched his knees closer to his chest. It was all his fault, couldn't anyone see that? Raven, Dick, Kori, Vic and the others were all so worried about him, but he was undeserving of their worry. Instead of worrying about him they should hate him.

"I'm a terrible person," he murmured.

"Is that what you think?"

Gar gasped, his eyes widening. He looked behind himself and saw Kori standing there. "What are you doing here?"

"Everyone was out looking for you. We're all worried about you, Gar," she said as she kneeled beside him, draping an extra raincoat she found in her car over his shoulders.

He lifted the hood to the raincoat above his head. It was a great help against all this rain. "You shouldn't worry about me."

"Why? Because you're a terrible person?" she asked, using his own words against him.

"It's the truth!" he snapped. "Because of me Terra's dead!"

"Gar," she began softly, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it gently. "Terra's death is not your fault."

"Yes it is! I couldn't save her!" he screamed, tears welling up in his eyes and spilling over down onto his cheeks.

Kori grabbed him then, enveloping him in a tight hug. "Gar, you tried... Sometimes, even though you try, you just can't save people. That doesn't mean you're to blame."

"But... but...," he sniffled. "I didn't even... get to... get to say I... was s-sorry! She died, Kori, she _died! _And I never got to... got to apologize!"

"Oh, Gar...," Kori's eyes filled with tears and she squeezed him as hard as she could.

"I never wanted her to die! I love her! I love her _so_ much!"

Kori rubbed his back as he cried into her shoulder. The two sat there for some time, holding each other as the rain washed everything away.

TT

The front door opened and Kori and Gar stepped in. Immediately they were greeted by Kori's mother.

"Gar," Luan embraced him. "You've had Rita and Steve worried sick!"

"I'm sorry ma'am," Gar replied politely, showing off manners he hardly used.

"Oh, you poor thing," Luan said. "Kori, go and grab something warm for Gar to change into. I'm going to call Rita. Gar, why don't you wait in the living room for now and after you're settled I'll bring you something warm from the kitchen."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you."

As Kori disappeared Gar settled into the large sofa. After that incident in the cemetery he somehow felt lighter. Some of the guilt still remained but it felt good to let a big part of it go. As he rubbed his hands together he caught sight of something purple and blue in the foyer.

"Raven?"

Raven timidly entered the living room, rubbing her arm. "Hey."

"Hey," he repeated. "Uh... sorry about today... for yelling at you."

"That's okay," she said as she sat down beside him. "I saw Kori upstairs. She said she found you in the cemetery. What were you doing there?"

"I... wanted to be near her," he said, looking down at his hands.

Raven looked away.

"Even though I'm feeling better than I did earlier it still hurts. It hurts so much. Does this kind of pain ever go away?"

"I think... with time... it will hurt less. You just have to keep fighting and moving forward," Raven advised.

"But how can I do that?" he asked, turning his gaze to her. "I don't even know how."

Raven took his hand and offered him a smile. "I'll help. If you let me."

For a moment they just looked at each other. Raven began to worry. Perhaps she was overstepping her boundaries. Her fears were soon put to rest as Gar clutched her hand.

"I would like that," he answered before resting his head on her shoulder. Raven blushed and almost pulled away, but decided against it. Instead she rested her head on top of his.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO iBelieveInAngels, Agent of the Divine One, BGuate224, SparkleBlueLemon, TealCrystalCAT, TeenTitansFreakFan, Kick Ass Kids, Emily Snow21, clarkLover1, XxGraysonGirlxX, Kichi Penn, BerryDrops, sweetnsxy, jcyz, Because Love is WAY Over-rated, Daniella TT, xXraincloudXx, MiaPatli'sBlackMoonroses, Little Miss Juliet, xxScriblezxx, wafflestarpeace97, Saffire55, Romancelover1321, .Grayson, WhenHellFreezesOver, RoseXxxXThorn, tennisgal456, titanfan101, sammey13, WelcomeToLeahlandxD, Teen-Titans-Raven, BGuate224, oXLoveMeXHateMeXo, L'amour est vie, starstruck2610, someone, Teen Titan Fan, sad, Sterre, Starpower01, OMG.I'., mysteree101, Jr, AND Celyn30 FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU ALL! THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT!**

Okay, so I know I've been gone. But I'm back. And I'm determined to finish this story. I suspect maybe some of you have given up on this story, there was a point when I almost gave up on it... But I'm not going to quit! For those of you still reading this story please stay tuned! I know I can do this, that WE can do this. This story will be finished. My head is back in the game and I'm ready to deliver chapters!

**NEXT CHAPTER: ALAIN RETURNS!**

Now, I am not demanding this off anyone, but I always used to put this at the end of each chapter so I just gotta do it now...

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	55. I love you

Toni held up a strapless form fitting black dress that ended just above the knees. The top of the dress, mainly the part that covered her breast, was red with black lace on top. This dress had everything she wanted: her favorite colors, an elegant flare, and some sexy detail. But should she wear it? That was the question that kept eating away at her.

She turned around to face Karen. "Does this look okay? Or is it too much? I think it's too much."

Karen, who was reading an article in a magazine, didn't even bother to look up. Toni had been pulling out different outfits from her closet for a little bit over an hour now. After half an hour passed Karen lost interest. "It looks great."

"You keep saying that," Toni whined as she stomped over and snatched the magazine away. "Are you even paying attention?"

"Well I was at first," Karen answered tartly. "Toni, does it really matter what you wear?"

Toni gasped dramatically, her eyes wide and she put her hands above her heart. She took a step forward and then fell to her knees, coughing loudly. She then collapsed on the floor, eyes shut and mouth wide open. Karen rolled her eyes at her friend's antics, but secretly she suppressed the urge to laugh. She scooted over to the edge of the bed and poked Toni with her foot.

"Get up you loonatic."

"Not until you agree to help me," Toni answered, not moving an inch. For added affect she groaned uncontrollably.

"Okay!" Karen relented. "I'll help, _sheesh_."

Immediately Toni sprang up, her eyes twinkling. She threw her arms around Karen and squeezed her as tight as she could, squealing. "Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Karen said, cracking a smile. "You must really be looking forward to this party."

"Of course I am! It's Alain's homecoming party. I want to look my best for him," Toni said, picking out two more dresses from the closet.

Karen smiled, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "It's going to be great to see him out of that hospital room."

"Yeah... I know...," Toni mumbled.

The room suddenly became silent, and Karen briefly wondered if she had said something wrong.

"Toni, you okay?"

"Yeah, I am... It's just... I really hated seeing him in there... But he's better now!" Toni said happily, turning around with a big grin on her face. "So what kind of shoes should I wear? Oh, and what about my hair?"

Karen sighed in relief that Toni's bubbly attitude consumed her gloomy moment, then she smiled. For a moment there she got to see Toni's soft side, something that was rarely seen. "You know you should give me back that magazine and maybe we'll get inspired," she joked.

"Ha, fat chance," Toni said, seeing right through Karen's plot. She held up the two dresses. "Now which do you like better?"

TT

Alain's party was at his house. The place wasn't decorated, but his mother did make him all of his favorite foods and desserts. The living room was filled with family and friends, minus Arthur who had gone to pick up Alain from the hospital.

Toni had settled in the chair closest to the door. She wanted to be the first one to greet Alain when he came in. She blushed. She couldn't wait to see Alain. She was elated that he was finally being released from the hospital. Yesterday, when she was with Karen, she had gotten so depressed at the thought of how long he's been stuck in that hospital. It felt like forever. Oh how she hated seeing him confined in that ugly room, on that uncomfortable bed surrounded by way too many helpful nurses. She glowered for a moment thinking of that one nurse in particular who was young and had big breast but tossed the memory of her away.

Alain was out of the hospital now, which meant no more nurses and no more limited visiting hours. She grinned. They had so much time to make up for, and they would make up for it, starting with today as soon as he walked through that door.

That's when she heard it. The jingle of keys, the sound of the door being unlocked. He was here!

Just as Toni rised from her seat the door opened. First Arthur came in, then Alain. Her heart beat increased at the sight of him. She was just about to go to him when a red blur passed by her, knocking her back in her seat.

"ALAIN!" Wally shouted, ecstatic. He was just about to wrap his arms around Alain but before he could Arthur stopped him.

"Careful!"

Wally withdrew immediately. "Sorry about that," he came back in, this time slower, and hugged Alain softly. "It's good to see you dude."

"Good to see you too, Wally."

Toni huffed and stood back up. Wally was stealing her moment! Before she could advance though the rest of the boys rushed over. Dick, Roy, uncles, cousins and so on and so forth.

"Alain, what's up man," Dick greeted, high fiving his friend.

"Hey, good to see you man."

Toni tried to worm her way in through the barrier of boys, and just as she was about to succeed she heard Mera calling for her son.

"Alain, come give your mother a hug!"

"Coming, ma," he said, pushing past the guys and making a bee line for his mother.

Toni sighed, defeated. So much for a special greeting.

TT

It took nearly an hour for Alain to greet everyone else before finally getting to Toni and when he was in her sight she beamed at him. Then she saw the person following him from behind and she scowled. Roy.

"Hey, babe," Alain greeted, kissing her cheek and enveloping her in a hug. Toni would have been elated had he greeted her like this an hour ago, but now she just couldn't stop scowling at Roy who shifted uncomfortably under her harsh stare. Alain pulled away and ran a hand over her hair. "You used the strawberry shampoo?"

She loved his attention to detail and couldn't help but smile, completely giddy. The strawberry shampoo was his favorite. "I did!"

"And you look awesome," he added, kissing the top of her head.

_Now that's more I like it_, Toni thought, loving every second of his praise.

"I'm so glad you're here, Toni. It means a lot to me to have my girlfriend and best friend here," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and patting Roy on the back.

Toni visibly twitched. Did he just butter her up so she would be in a better mood around Roy? She doubted Alain would compliment her without meaning it, but that didn't stop her from feeling tricked. She frowned.

"Uh, so, Toni... I hear that you and Roy aren't exactly on the best of terms lately," Alain began timidly, intimidated by the frown that suddenly appeared on her face.

"That sounds about right," she replied, arms crossed.

Alain sighed. "Look, Toni, I know you're mad at Roy-"

"I have every reason to be. It's his fault you got stabbed. If you hadn't been looking for him then you wouldn't have gotten hurt," Toni said,her voice distraught.

"Look, Toni... Alain...," Roy interrupted. "I am so sorry-"

"It wasn't your fault," Alain cut in.

"Was too!" Toni piped in.

"Hush," Alain told her.

"But-"

"Look, all I want is for _you _to forgive yourself," Alain said, throwing a lance at Roy. He then turned his attention back to Toni. "And for _you _to forgive him. C'mon guys... I wouldn't be able to take it if you two couldn't get along. So can you just make amends, for me? Please?"

Roy and Toni glanced at each other. They remained like this for a few seconds before Toni relented and looked away. She sighed. She couldn't deny Alain this request, and besides, she had given Roy's role in that unfortunate night a lot of thought. Of course she was still mad at Roy since Alain was out looking for him, but Roy was in a bad place at that time. He missed Jade so much that he wasn't thinking right. If Alain was taken away from her she wouldn't be able to stand it.

Toni turned her attention towards Roy again. She was done giving him the cold shoulder. Today was supposed to be a good day. Today they were supposed to celebrate the fact that Alain had survived that horrible moment. Slowly she extended a hand towards Roy and offered him a small smile.

"Friends?"

Roy smiled gratefully and shook her hand. "Friends."

Alain smiled. "Awesome! Now how about we go try the cake my mom made and-"

"Alain!"

Suddenly Alain was swarmed by three girls from the schoool's swim team. They were the top three swimmers on the girl's team, as well as good friends to Alain and extremely beautiful.

"Alain, it's been forever. Come, we have a lot of catching up to do," she said as she pulled his arm and dragged him away, the other two girl's following closely behind.

Roy whistled and then turned his gaze towards Toni who was silently fuming, her teeth gritted and her hands clenched. If looks could kill those three girls would be in some serious trouble.

Roy took his leave. "Can't blame me for that one."

TT

Toni found herself outside on the patio of Alain's home all by herself. She had been sitting there for awhile now, lost in thought. Her thoughts revolved around Alain. Alain, Alain, Alain... Her precious boyfriend who she had spent little to no time with today. She was irritated because of that, but thinking about it she realized it was understandable. Everyone had her same thoughts and wanted to spend as much time with Alain as possible. They had almost lost a member of their family, they had almost lost a friend and teammate. She had no choice but to share with them.

She shifted uncomfortably at the thought of losing Alain. The day he was stabbed was one of the worse moments in her life. She had never been so petrified before in her life... To think that wasn't the only time she almost lost him. The first time she almost lost him to both of their parents she recalled as she played with the engagement ring on her finger. To think they were both willing to do something as crazy as a fake engagement just to be able to date each other.

As she thought more and more Toni came to realize just how special Alain was to her, and with perfect timing he showed up on the patio.

She nearly fell out of her chair in surprise and fear. "Don't sneak up on me when I'm thinking!" she shouted angrily.

He chuckled and sat next to her. "Sorry," he looked at her curiously. "So what are you thinking about out here all by your lonesome?"

_About you_, she thought. _And how I think I might be in l-_. She caught herself and shook her head. "Nothing. _Sooo_ what brings you out here?" she asked, hoping to divert his attention.

"I just needed to get some fresh air. Everyone is smothering me," he entertwined his fingers with her. "And plus a little birdie told me that you were out here." He kissed the back of her hand. "I'm sorry I haven't been paying you enough attention today. Do you forgive me?"

Toni stared at him with wide eyes, and after a pause she began to laugh. Her boyfriend was something else. He had just gotten out of the hospital after having a critical wound and yet here he was, worrying about her because she wasn't getting enough attention. It made her jealousy seem trivial.

"Uh... did I say something wrong?"

"No. You didn't," she smiled. "You're just... so adorable and perfect."

"Well if you _insist..._"

"Shut up," she gave him a playful push and they both began to laugh.

Laughing here with him now, Toni realized there was no _might _about it. She knew how she felt. Now all she had to do was say it. But how? Should she just come out and say it? Would that be okay? But if she did that would it be too sudden? And what about the romance? Toni shook her head. She could already feel a headache coming on. It was too troublesome trying to figure out _how _to say it, so she decided to just spit it out.

"Hey...," she began, her cheeks turning pink and she looked at the floor. "There's something I have to tell you. Something important."

He looked at her curiously, squeezing her hand. "What is it?"

"Well, um... I-"

"Alain!" gushed the girl who had dragged him off earlier, stepping out onto the patio. "There you are! Come back inside, Davi and Mel and me really wanna talk to you some more."

"Uh, okay, I'll be there in a m-"

The girl linked arms with him and was already pulling him away. "By the way, did I ever tell you about that bikini mishap I had? So embarrassing."

That was the last straw for Toni. She stood her ground. "Excuse me! We were talking."

The girl gave her a bewildered look, tilting her head. "Alain, who is this girl?"

"I'm his _girlfriend_ you twit!"

Alain stepped in the middle of the girls, putting his hands on Toni's shoulders. "Toni, calm down. Let me just go with Shavvon for a few minutes and then I'll come right back."

His attempt to clam her down was a futile one. Toni was already livid, especially since he was going to go off with that bimbo.

"Are you seriously going to go off with that flousey? Didn't I already say there was something I had to tell you? I'm your girlfriend! I'm supposed to come first and you've been ignoring me all day!"

"Toni, this will only take a minute. I'll be right back."

"Oh, just forget it you... you... JACKASS!" she screamed, shoving him and making a dash for the exit.

TT

The morning after Alain's party Toni found herself unable to get out of bed, she just didn't feel like getting up today. She was still sore about what happened yesterday. Alain had called last night but she didn't answer it. She didn't know what to say to him. She didn't feel the need to apologize. In her mind her actions were justified. She tossed in her bed, clutching the plush clown fish Alain had gotten her as a present for a previous anniversary. Toni wondered... maybe what happened last night was destiny. Maybe she just wasn't supposed to say those three little words.

As she contemplated this there was a knock at her door._ Probably the maid, _she suspected. Who else would knock this early in the morning. She sat up, licking her lips. Maybe breakfast was ready. A good meal would lift her spirits.

"Come in."

The door opened, revealing Alain.

She crossed her arms. "What are you doing here?"

He crossed over to her and sat on the bed. Toni couldn't help but notice the small bouquet of flowers in his hands. He extended them to her but she turned up her nose and huffed. "I came to apologize," he said, placing the flowers on the bed. "Nice bed head."

Toni immediately jumped out of bed, flustered, and ran for her dresser. She quickly grabbed the brush and ran it through her hair. "Well what do you expect so early in the morning? This is unfair! I demand a do-over. Go outside and come back in when I'm pretty. Oh _man_," Toni whined as she fumbled with a knot. "My hair is such a _mess_. You better not tell a-"

Her words were cut off when he wrapped his arms around her from behind. Toni's frantic brush strokes ceased and her hand fell to her side.

"I'm sorry," Alain mumbled into the back of her neck. "I was just trying to be polite, but I swear I was just going to go tell them that I was busy and come right back. I never meant to upset you. Please forgive me."

Any anger she had towards him wilted. She placed her hands over his, smiling softly. "Apology accepted," she murmured before turning around and giving him a peck on the lips. Her mood now brightened, she grinned at him. "So, now that you're here, wanna have breakfast together?"

"I would like to but I can't. My parents don't even know I'm here," he explained. "I snuck out without telling them."

"Why'd you do that?"

"Because they both want me to take it easy. But I had to do it, they would have told me no since I just got out of the hospital and I had to see you."

"I guess it can't be helped," she hugged him. "Call me later?"

"Of course," he kissed her lips quickly and headed towards the door. His hand landed on the knob but he paused. Turning around he locked eyes with her. "Hey, last night you were going to tell me something. What was it?"

"Oh, um... I was just going to... suggest that we go see this movie that recently came out. I've been dying to see it. That's all," she lied, keeping her fingers crossed. Hopefully he would fall for it.

"Sure, a movie sounds great," Alain replied, smiling. Toni sighed in relief. "I'll talk to you later then."

He left, the door closing behind him.

She was doing the right thing, she assured herself. There was no need to say something like that now. Anything could happen later on and then what? She could end up being hurt... So what if saying it worked for couples like Kori and Dick, or Wally and Jenn. That was them... Then again they all did seem extremely happy with their relationships, and during their many girl talks they had remarked that it had made their relationship stronger. They didn't let the fear of what may or may not happen stop them...

And she wouldn't either! Consequences be damned!

Toni lunged for the door and swung it open. She ran towards the banister, clutching it tightly. She looked down and spotted Alain. He was already by the door. She couldn't let him leave, not without telling him first.

"Alain!"

Alain looked up and turned around. He was surprised to see Toni out of her room. What happened next surprised him even more.

"I love you!"

He froze, unable to believe his ears. His heart skipped a beat in pure joy. He had been waiting so long to hear her say those words.

"Say that again," he requested. He had to be sure this wasn't just his imagination.

Happy tears came to Toni's eyes and she laughed. "I said... I love you."

"That's what I thought," he said as he bolted up the stairs and straight towards her. Once he reached her his arms enveloped her in a hug and he kissed her lips passionately. When they finally pulled away he wiped away the last of her tears and smiled at her. "I love you, too."

She smiled. "I guess that means we'll be having ourselves a real engagement now."

A pause.

"Excuse me?" he asked, puzzled.

"I said I love you, so that means I have to do it big. It's the Toni Monetti way," she said as it was the most obvious thing in the word. "So... what do you say? Wanna marry me in the future?"

He paused as a few words came to mind: crazy, risky, but above all else... love. He was in love with this crazy, risky girl. He smiled. "Yes."

They kissed.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO iBelieveInAngels, SparkleBlueLemon, Trimacle, Magic Kiwi, Agent of the Divine One, BerryDrops, chipmunkswillrule13, Emily Snow21 AND Daniella TT FOR REVIEWING! YOU GUYS ROCK! **

**FIVE MORE CHAPTERS TO GO PEOPLE! LET'S DO THIS! WOO! **

**NEXT CHAPTER: AS KORI'S NEW PATH UNFOLDS WILL IT THREATEN HER RELATIONSHIP WITH DICK?**

**AND AGAIN YOU DON'T HAVE TO BUT IF YOU WANT...**

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	56. Kori the model

It was a lazy and boring day for Kori as she rolled over in her bed. She had already cleaned her room, rearranged her stuffed animals in order of smallest to largest, and arranged any books she had in alphabetical order in an attempt to beat the boredom, but she found such tasks only succeeded to make her more bored afterwards.

Her gaze drifted from the ceiling to her cellphone resting on top of her bureau. It wouldn't make sense to call any of her friends since she already knew everyone was busy. All of the boys had gone to see a baseball game. Toni was spending quality time with her mother. Karen was off on some romantic date with Mal. Jenn was working. And Raven... She didn't exactly know where Raven had disappeared to. The purple haired girl had only told her that she required some _alone _time and then abruptly left.

Kori grabbed her pillow and screamed into it. She was to _freaking _bored. She wished something interesting would happen...

A scream rang out through the house and Kori leaped out of bed. That scream came from her older sister. Kori ran out of her room and down the stairs. She was sure Komi's scream originiated from there.

"Komi, what's wrong?" Kori asked as she reached the bottom of the stairs, her eyes on her sister.

Komi grabbed her sister's shoulders excitedly. "Kori, you will not believe who is in our house!"

"What are you talking about?" Kori questioned, looking over her sister's shoulder and at the tall handsome man standing in the open doorway. Her eyes widened. "Phey?"

TT

Phey, Kori, Myan and Luan all settled in the dining room sipping at tea provided to them by Luan herself. Meanwhile, Komi had disappeared upstairs to gush to her friends; "You will never believe who is in my house".

Phey gently placed his cup of tea back onto its saucer and smiled kindly at the married coupled sitting on the other side of the table in front of him. "Thank you so much for your hospitably."

"Oh, it's no problem at all.. er... I'm sorry I don't believe I caught your name," Luan apologized, her cheeks a light pink in embarrassment.

"My name is-"

"Phey Zzon," Komi finished, abruptly entering the dining room, her moment of gushing over the phone to her friends officially done. She stood next to Phey. "In case you don't know mom, Mr. Zzon is the head honcho of a major cosmetics company and has his own fashion line. Not only that but he's also a famous hair stylist and photographer, _and _he writes for one of the best fashion magazines in the country."

Phey smiled, impressed. "You left out the most important thing; I make a great spaghetti dish. By the way, you all can call me Phey."

"Okay!" Komi squeaked, taking the empty seat besides him and looking at him in awe. Kori shook her head at her sister's behavior.

"That's quite a lot of accomplishments at such a young age," Myan commented.

"Looks can be decieving. Although it may not look it, I'm actually in my thirties."

Luan gasped. "You don't look a day over twenty-five."

Phey chuckled. "I guess that means all my work in the cosmetics industry paid off."

"What brings such a successful man to our home?" asked Myan, placing his cup of tea on its saucer and folding his hands on the table. Kori could already tell that her father was ready to get down to business.

"I've come here for Kori," Phey answered, placing his hand above Kori's free one that resided on the table. "I want her to come to New York with me."

Luan nearly dropped her cup. "What exactly are you requesting?"

"Pardon me, I explained myself all wrong," Phey began, his hands now folded on his lap. "I see great potential in Kori. She is the most beautiful young woman that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing with my own eyes and I would like to work with her. I want her to come to New York with me so I can begin to launch her career in modeling."

"But she's still in school," Luan stated.

"That's why I'm proposing that she fly to New York as soon as school is over."

"How long would she be gone for?" Myan questioned.

"The whole summer."

"Something like that really is up to Kori," Myan confirmed, looking at his daughter. "It is a great opportunity. It could open a lot of doors for you, Kori."

Kori began to fidget in her chair. With everyone suddenly looking at her she felt really small.

"I know it's a lot to consider, so you don't have to answer right away," Phey told her, his hand now back on her small one. Her skin was soft and smooth he noted as he stroked her wrist with his thumb. He pulled his hand away when she looked at him with her bright green eyes. _So beautiful, _he thought as he smiled at her. He couldn't risk losing such great potential. "Kori, before you make your decision I would like to set up a photo shoot right here in Jump City just for you. I want you to experience what modeling can be like before you decide on my offer. Will you do it?"

All eyes looked at the slender red head sitting at the head of the table. Her answer came out soft and timid, almost unheard.

"O-okay."

TT

"Do you love me?"

Dick paused, a spoon full of ice cream hovering just below his lips. After the baseball game and grabbing a bite to eat with the guys he had sped over to Kori's place on his motorcycle and picked her up. Together they went out for a short walk until reaching a small ice cream parlor. Dick was in the midst of eatting his chocolate and vanilla ice cream when Kori's question caught him off guard.

He lowered his spoon, eyebrow cocked in puzzlement. "Of course I love you. You already know that."

"Just checking," Kori admitted bashfully, lowering her gaze towards her strawberry ice cream. She had hardly touched it and the edges were starting to melt. She filled her spoon with the pink dessert and raised it to her lips, only to put it down, untouched. Her eyes went right back to Dick. "How much?"

Dick's spoon was lowered again. "... Does it matter?"

"I'm just curious," Kori said innocently, batting her eyelashes and smiling ear to ear.

"I love you a lot," Dick smiled. "You're the most important person in my life, Kori."

She nodded and he brought his spoon back to his lips, his mouth watering for the tasty treat.

"Do you love me enough to wait for me?"

He lowered his spoon in frustration this time. "Kori-"

"I just want to know in case...," she trailed off, looking away and biting her lip. She began to fidget.

"In case... what?" Dick asked suspiciously. His eyes narrowed. "Kori, you've been acting weird all night. You hardly spoke during our walk, and now you're asking all these questions. What's going on? Did something happen?"

Her eyes met his timidly. "...Sorta."

His fist clenched out of fear of the unknown. "What is it? What aren't you telling me?"

"It's nothing bad," Kori assured him quickly, noticing his clenched jaw and fist. "It's just... Do you remember that man I met at the career fair? Phey Zzon."

Dick relaxed a little in his seat. "Yeah, a little bit. What about him?"

"Well, you see, he's back in town and he dropped by my house earlier today. He wants to take me under his wing."

"Kori, that's great!" Dick exclaimed, relieved that nothing serious was wrong and ecstatic over Kori's good news. "I never would have guessed that some hot shot photographer would have taken such an interest in you, but who can blame him. You're gorgeous! You would be perfect as a model."

Kori smiled at him. "You really think so?"

"Of course I do."

"Oh, Dick, I'm so glad you feel that way," Kori began, now feeling comfortable enough to tell him the rest. "Because there's more... Phey wants me to go to New York with him to train me."

"That's amazing. So that's why you were asking all those questions," he leaned back in his chair, smiling. "So how long will you be gone for? The weekend... or a while week maybe?"

"Actually... I would be gone for the while summer."

His smile fell instantly... and then so did he. Right out of his chair.

TT

Dick frantically paced the floor as the others hung around him leisurely. Vic and Wally had teamed up against Roy and Alain in an intense game of foosball. Meanwhile Gar had occupied himself with a rubix cube.

"She's leaving me," Dick muttered, pulling at his hair with both hands. "That's why she wants to do this modeling stuff. To get away from me. She hates me."

"Kori does not hate you," Vic said, grumbling as a shot from Alain got past his defenses, tying up the game once again. "She loves you man. Always has, always will."

"So then why is she even considering this offer from Phey Zzon? She'll be gone for the while summer!"

"I don't know... maybe because she wants a career," Wally said, not noticing the glare Dick sent him. "Dammit, Roy, I know you're cheating!"

Roy chuckled.

"Would you guys focus! I'm having a crisis here!"

"Dude, so what if Kori goes away for the summer. She's following her dream," said Alain. "You have to believe in her and trust her. You should be proud that she's even getting an opportunity like this."

Dick flopped down on a red bean bag chair. He hated the fact that Alain was right.

"Don't listen to him, Dick," insisted Roy, biting his lip in concentration. "The same thing happened to Ollie once. He had a pretty brunette dame once. She had just started her modeling career when Ollie and her started dating. Then she got called away for a business trip up in Russia. So she's gone for a couple of months and when she comes back she's got some male model on her arm."

"New beau?" Wally asked, reacting quickly and hitting the ball.

Roy hit the ball back. "Uh-huh."

"That doesn't mean Kori's going to come back with a new boyfriend," Alain announced, noticing the look of panic that had crossed Dick's face. Vic then made a score, regaining Alain's attention in the game who cursed under his breath for allowing himself to be distracted.

"It might. She's going to be surrounded by a lot of good looking guys. Way better looking than you."

"You're not helping, Roy!" Dick screeched.

Just then the sound of infant cries were heard. Immediately Roy ceased his action in the game, grabbed the baby monitor, and bolted for the door. "Looks like it's time to feed Lian. Gar, take over for me," Roy commanded over his shoulder.

Gar immediately tossed the rubix cube and jumped up. "Sweet!"

Dick stood up and headed towards the door as well. The boys paused in their game.

"Dude, where you going?" Gar inquired.

"I'm going to Kori's photoshoot. I'm going to tell her that she can't pursue this modeling bullshit."

With that being said Dick exited the room, the others watching him as he did.

"That's not going to end well," commented Vic.

TT

Dick speeded over to the location of Kori's photoshoot and parked his motorcycle. Taking off his helmet he eyed the large building belonging to a popular fashion magazine in disgust. There was no way in hell he was going to lose Kori to all of _this _without a fight. Dick got off his bike and stormed into the building, heading straight for the elevator. Before he could even see his relection in the polished silver doors his path was blocked by a security guard.

"Where do you think you're going small pint?" the guard growled.

"Tenth floor," Dick spat. "I need to see my girlfriend."

"No can do. Can't let you in, no matter who your girlfriend is."

Dick smirked. "Oh really. Then I guess it doesn't matter who my adoptive father is either. Maybe you've heard of him. Does the name Bruce Wayne ring any bells?"

The guard raised a brow. "Bruce Wayne. You're his boy?"

"The one and only... You know, maybe if you're nice to me I'll put in a good word for you with Bruce. He's always looking for capable security guards for Wayne Enterprises such as yourself...," Dick paused a moment to read the large man's name tage. "Sean."

"No dice."

A pause.

"How much?" Dick asked tiredly.

"How much you got?" the guard asked, cracking a grin.

Dick sighed as he pulled out his wallet. Opening it he pulled out one fifty dollar bill and a twenty. The guard snatched it immediately.

"Go right ahead," the guard said politely, chuckling.

"Gee, thanks," Dick said sarcastically, grumbling under his breath as he entered the elevator.

His ride in the elevator was short and Dick quickly found himself on the tenth floor. He looked to his left and saw a plain wall with a portrait. He then looked to his right and saw a single door. Eyes narrowing Dick went towards the door and opened it. He stepped inside and his eyes widened. The room was large. The floor was black and seemed almost unending and the white walls stretched until they met the high ceiling.

Scanning the room some more Dick noticed two things; there was a lot of lights and racks of clothes. In the middle of it all there was a swarm of people moving about getting things in order, particularly the stage in the center. Built on the stage was a small tower, and wrapping around it was flowers of all kinds climbing all the way to the top.

"You guys finished yet?" a man asked.

"Yes sir, Mr. Zzon. The last flower is in place," answered a worker as he and his team hurried off the stage.

"Excellent," said Phey. "Kori, will you come here a moment."

That's when Dick saw her.

Kori had undergo an incredible transformation. Her hair had been pulled back and pinned with purple orcids. The hair that wasn't pinned back came down in curls down her back. She wore a scoop neck lavender dress with pink ribbon tied around her waist (Dick thought that perhaps her look was inspired from the renaissance). Her neck had a pink choker with a large black tear drop gem that dangled from it.

Her apparel and hairstyle made her look unique but Dick couldn't get his eyes off of her face. They had applied little makeup to her cheeks and lips but her eyes... Her eyes were simply stunning. The dark purple eyeshadow made her bright green eyes shine brilliantly.

"Now, Kori," began Phey as he slipped an arm around her shoulders. He pointed at the tower with his free hand. "You're going to climb to the very top of that, and don't be scared. My team has made sure it's secure."

With a pat on her back he directed her on the stage and a assitant helped Kori up. Once she was on the top Phey directed someone in the background to turn the fan on, resulting in a soft breeze that played with her hair. Phey then directed her into a certain pose and told her to hold her head up in a certain way.

"She's very good at taking direction," said a woman with a clipboard.

The man dressed in black standing besides her nodded. "She's very pleasant to work with, too. I did her make up you know."

"Shut the front door!"

"I really did though."

The woman whistled. "Good work."

"Thanks. I wouldn't mind working with her again. Phey was right about her, she could really go places in this industry."

Dick frowned a little at that and gripped his shirt over his heart.

Now satisfied with Kori's position Phey got behind the camera. "Kori, I want you to picture a moment when you were happy. A moment when you felt butterflies in your stomach. Maybe... maybe like a first kiss or something."

Kori blushed. "First kiss?"

"Yeah. Imagine the first time you kissed that boyfriend of yours that you told me so much about and how it made you feel."

That wasn't a hard memory to drag up and Kori's countenance changed for the better. Her body and face relaxed and her lips turned up in the softest of smiles. Her eyes looked up shyly. The way she held her eyes mimicked the way she looked at him the day after their first kiss.

"Beautiful," Phey announced as he snapped photos.

"Yeah... she really is," Dick agreed softly, leaving the photoshoot unnoticed and going back to the elevator.

TT

An hour or so passed before Kori left the building, cell phone in hand. She was just about to call a cab (she refused to accept Phey's offer of dropping her off home since she knew he had work to attend to) when she heard someone speak over her shoulder.

"Hey."

She turned around, already knowing who the voice belonged to. Green eyes met blue ones and Kori smiled before she ran up to the boy to give him a hug.

"Dick! What are you going here?" she inquired, pulling away but keeping her arms wrapped around his neck.

Dick lowered his gaze for a moment and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, about that... Maybe we should sit down first."

Luckily for the pair they didn't have to walk far to find an empty bench. Once they were seated Dick took both of Kori's hands in his own. It took Dick a few minutes to finally speak.

"...I came here because I wanted to drag you out of that photoshoot. I wanted to tell you that you couldn't do this modeling stuff."

Her eyes widened and hurt splashed across her face.

"That's what I came here to do," Dick continued. "But then I saw you and... You looked amazing. And everyone thought so, too. This modeling stuff, it fits you like a glove. You're good at it, and you can only get better." He looked her in the eyes for the first time since they had sat down. "Kori, I want you to do this. I want you to pursue modeling and go to New York with Phey."

A moment of silence passed between them.

"But... if I go... I'll be gone for the whole summer," Kori pointed out. "What about you? ... Us?"

"We'll be fine," Dick assured her, gripping her hand. "We can talk everyday on the phone, we can webcam with each other. I'll wait for you because I love you!"

Kori smiled at his declaration and she squeezed his hand. "Truly?"

"Yes. Kori, I know we can make this work. One summer away won't-"

She silenced him with a long kiss and Dick eagerly responded and his hands went to her waist, drawing her closer.

Kori pulled away and engulfed him in a tight hug. "Dick, I love you so much."

He stroked her hair. "I love you, too."

She buried herface in the crook of his neck. "Dick?"

"Yeah?"

There was a brief pause before she spoke again.

"Let's have sex."

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TOO SparkleBlueLemon, iBelieveInAngels, xXraincloudXx, Magic Kiwi, ZurahA, BerryDrops, Purple Sky Juliet, Agent of the Divine One, Emily Snow21, Olivia, chipmunkswillrule13, Daniella TT, mysteree101, AND starstruck2610 FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST AND I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH! **

**EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS TO BerryDrops FOR BEING THE BIG 1,300 REVIEWER! YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS... YOU GET ONE QUESTION (CONCERNING ANY STORY OR UPCOMING STORY THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE SICK CYCLE CAROUSEL SERIES)!**

**OKAY SO ONLY FOUR MORE CHAPTERS TO GO BEFORE THIS STORY IS DONE! WOOHOO!**

**NEXT CHAPTER: THE MOMENT DICK HAS BEEN WAITING FOR HAS FINALLY COME. WILL HIM AND KORI FINALLY TAKE THAT NEXT STEP?**

**I'M GONNA DO IT AGAIN. I CAN'T RESIST.**

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	57. Be my baby

The ride from the area of Kori's photoshoot to Wayne Manor didn't take long, and Dick and Kori soon found themselves entering Dick's bedroom. Kori walked in first and Dick went in after her, shutting the door quietly. He rubbed his hands on his jeans and looked at Kori shyly. His palms were sweaty and he was full of nerves, but Kori looked perfectly fine. She was even smiling. Since when did he become the nervous one he pondered. He stood up straight, trying to mask his nervousness, and strolled over to his stereo system.

"Do you mind if I put on some music?" he asked, hoping some tunes would set the mood.

"Sure, go ahead," responded Kori as she put her purse down.

Dick turned the stereo on and heavy metal music blasted through the speakers, causing him to jump. He fumbled with the stereo for a moment before successfully turning it off, returning the room to silence. His heart pounded against his chest, so much for looking cool...

Kori smiled at him and took his hand. "Try to relax," she insisted softly, sensing his nerves and leading him to the bed. They both sat down and once settled Kori leaned over to give him a kiss. Dick leaned back, avoiding it. Kori opened her eyes in puzzlement. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. It's just... Why did you suddenly change your mind after all this time? I thought you weren't ready."

"I wasn't," she replied. "But I am now."

"Why? What changed?" Dick inquired. He was probably killing the mood but he was curious. He wanted to be sure Kori wasn't forcing herself to do something she wasn't ready for just for his sake.

There was a pause before Kori spoke again.

"...There has always been a part of me that has felt insecure in our relationship. I have always been _so _scared that one day you're just going to dump me like you used to do with those other girls," she confessed, looking down at her hands, her fingers fiddling. "...Sometimes I wonder what is that you like about me. There's nothing great about me, and I worry that one day you're going to realize that and you'll disappear from my life forever."

Dick wrapped her in a hug, squeezing her tight. "Kori, you're more special than you realize... And I'm sorry that my past has made you so insecure. But, you have to know I'm not that guy anymore. I've changed because of you. I love you, Kori."

She wrapped her arms around him. "I know. I'm not scared anymore. Any insecurity I had went away today when you came for me... I love you so much, Dick."

He kissed her temple before pulling away. He kissed her then, his hand trailing under her shirt and up her back. His hand found the hook of her bra and with expert fingers he unhooked it. Dick pulled away from the kiss, giving him the opportunity he needed to lift Kori's black top over her head. With her shirt now gone he was finally able to pull her bra away and take in the sight of her.

_Hot damn, _he thought in amazement.

Kori's cheeks flushed pink but she didn't attempt to cover herself. Instead her hands went to the rim of Dick's shirt, raising it slightly. Dick caught the hint and he raised his arms up, allowing Kori to tug the garment over his head and toss it to the floor.

She rested the palm of her hand over his heart and slowly she raised it up to the back of his neck, coaxing him into a kiss. Their lips met and they fell backwards, Dick on top. Their bodies were heating up, both extremely eager, and they became absorbed in their passionate kissing.

Before they were completely lost in the moment the door knob twisted and the door was pushed open.

Bruce entered. "Dick, how many times do I have to tell you to not leave your motorcycle in-"

Dick and Kori halted their actions, their eyes becoming wide. Immediately Kori grabbed the bed sheet to cover herself and Dick became frozen, his jaw dropped as he took in the sight of Bruce in his room.

Silence engulfed the room.

Bruce's eyes narrowed at the young couple and his jaw clenched.

Dick began to splutter. "Bruce, I-it's not what-" 

"Kori," Bruce began flatly. "Please dress yourself. Once you're done Alfred will be waiting to give you a ride home."

With that being said Bruce left the room.

Dick sighed, running a hand through his hair. This can't be good.

TT

After Kori left Dick went over to Bruce's study in hopes of smoothing things over. As he walked over there he thought about what he was going to say. _It's not what it looked like, Bruce. Kori and I were just..._, he paused in his walk, the realization coming to him, _about to have sex_...

Despite the situation he grinned. Finally, after waiting for so long, Kori was ready to share herself with him. He had her heart and soon he would have her body, too. Dick continued his walk, his grin becoming wider in bliss. It made him happy to know that Kori was finally ready to accept all of him, and all of his love.

Turning, Dick landed in front of Bruce's study. He took a moment to compose himself, the grin he had seconds earlier leaving his face. His hand went to the knob of the door and he pushed it open. As he stepped in he caught the glare Bruce sent his way and almost immediately backed out, thinking that maybe it would be safer to wait until Alfred returned before speaking to Bruce. Dick shook his head. There was no need to drag the old butler into this as well. It was better to just get this over and done with.

He stood up straight and entered the room calmly, showing no fear. "Bruce."

"Dick."

Dick took a free seat by Bruce's desk and sat down. There was a moment of silence that only broke with Dick's heavy sigh. "Look, Bruce, about earlier-"

"How long?"

Dick looked up in confusion. "Huh?"

"How long have you and Kori been... _active_?"

Dick's face turned red and he looked away, his finger tugging at the collar of his shirt. "Uh... well today would have been the first time..."

Bruce sighed and rubbed his temples. "Honestly, Dick, I believe that you are making a huge mistake."

Dick rolled his eyes. "I didn't know you were such a strong believer in abstinence."

"I'm not only talking about sex."

Dick looked at Bruce seriously. "What do you mean?"

"I'm referring to your whole relationship with Kori. You're too invested in it, and it's becoming a problem."

"A problem? Bruce, you're not making any sense!"

Bruce leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands together on his knee. "Already becoming defensive. This is exactly what I'm talking about. You're too emotional when it comes to Kori. You don't _think_ and you act irresponsibly."

"So what if I don't think! Maybe I don't want to think! Being with Kori is all that matters to me!"

Bruce's eyes narrowed at the declaration. "Stop acting like a hormonal teenager for a minuteand use your head. Kori is _not _good for you."

"She's perfect for me!" Dick countered, slamming his hands against the desk and standing up, his eyes narrowed. "And I'm not just some horny teenager! What Kori and I have is genuine. We're in love."

"For how long? Another week? A month? You're a teenager! Relationships come and go. You're relationship with Kori is no different."

"So you're saying I should just break up with her?"

"I wouldn't be against it."

"Un-_fucking_-believable... You know, you're really something, Bruce," he paced in front of the desk in anger before stopping and looking at his mentor once more. He jabbed a finger in his direction. "Nothing, and I mean _nothing_, will stop me from being with Kori. I don't care if you don't approve. You're opinion means shit to me."

With that being said Dick stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Bruce's eyes focused on the door and he thought back to Dick's final words. _"Nothing, and I mean __**nothing**__, will stop me from being with Kori." _That sounded an awful lot like a challenge, and Bruce Wayne never backed down from a challenge.

TT

It was a fresh new day and Kori found herself waiting for Dick besides a grand fountain. She was so jittery at home that she left early to come to the destination Dick and her had picked out for their, Kori blushed, second _attempt. _

She wondered what it would be like. Would it hurt? She heard that the first time hurted for females. Would she cry? Would it feel incrediable? Would she be good at it? How would Dick feel? Would he like being with her?

As these and more questions popped into her head a boy approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. She could feel a breath against her ear.

"Hello, beautiful."

"And hello to you as well, Dick," Kori greeted as she spun around to face him. They kissed. Pulling away she glanced at him with worry. "...How are things with Bruce?"

A look of annoyance crossed his face. "Terrible."

"Oh...," she looked down, a guilty expression on her face. It was her fault that things were not well between the two.

Dick noticed her distressed expression. "Have you... changed your mind?"

"Hmm?"

"You know...," he blushed. "About being _with _me."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, no! I haven't changed my mind at all," she looked apprehensive. "Have you changed your mind?"

"What? Of course not! I was just wondering since you looked so sullen."

"I feel guilty that things are not well between you and Bruce," she confessed. "But I do not believe that should stop us. I want to be with you."

He entertwined their fingers and squeezed her hand. "I want to be with you, too."

After that they proceeded to the hotel overlooking the fountain. The hotel was owned by Kori's parents, and Kori felt this would be a safe place to be with Dick. There would be no one interrupting them here. Together they walked up to the front desk where Kori animately greeted the manager.

"Erica! How are you?" she kissed the woman's cheeks.

"Oh, I'm fine darling," Erica answered happily. "It's been awhile since someone from the Ander family has popped in. I'm not in trouble am I?"

Kori laughed. "Of course not. I'm just here because I need a room."

"For how long?"

"Only for today. With Ryan and Komi both at home things are kinda loud. I can't even begin to focus on my studying."

Erica looked at Kori and then at Dick, smirking. "Well if that's the case then by all means, let me get you a key. I trust this is only between us girls, right?"

Kori giggled, her cheeks turning pink. "That would be most appreciated."

TT

After entering their room Kori and Dick waisted little time. After a heated kiss in the elevator ride up they found themselves steadily growing into the mood, and being in a large hotel room all by themselves intensified that feeling. Soon Kori's skirt hit the floor, joining Dick's shirt.

Kori pushed Dick against the wall, attaching her lips to his as she undid his belt. As she pushed her chest against his, Dick moved a knee inbetween her legs and his hands landed on her bottom as he groped her, his mind reeling. _Oh my God, her tongue is amazing. Hot damn, _he thought.

He couldn't take it anymore. He scooped her up and carried her to the bed. He hovered over her, his hands going up her shirt as he continued to kiss her.

"W-wait!" Kori stammered, pulling her lips away.

Dick ceased his actions immediately. "What is it? Did I do something wrong? Is this too fast for you?"

"No, it's fine. _You're _fine. It's just, before we get ahead of ourselves, I wanted to make sure that you brought protection."

"Protection?" he repeated, sitting up on his knees. He quickly checked his pockets. Coming up empty his mood deflated. He smacked his forehead and dragged his hand down across his face. "I forgot..."

"You didn't bring a condom? You said you were going to get it so I didn't bother to get any."

"I know, I know," he said, getting out of bed. He buckled his belt and went to retrieve his shirt and shoes. "I can fix this. I'll just go and get some."

Kori sat up. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, it's fine. You stay," he replied as he buttoned up his shirt. He crossed over to her and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back soon."

TT

Dick did not come back soon.

Today just wasn't the day to go shopping for condoms apparantly, and a whole mess of obstacles just kept delaying him from achieving his goal. His first problem was finding a convience store. There was none located near the hotel and he had to walk at least seven blocks before he found one (berating himself the whole time for forgetting to take his motorcycle and thus extending the trip). Unfortunately for him that store was closed. As he traveled up further he found another store, but they were sold out of condoms. At the third store only one pack remained, but before Dick could get his hands on it another boy beat him to it. Then he finally found a fourth store who had an abundance of condoms ready to be brought. The problem was there were too many. Dick couldn't decide on which ones to get. _For her pleasure? Ribbed? _It took him awhile to decide, and when he did it was only because he closed his eyes and picked at random.

By the time he got back to the hotel and eyed his watch, he realized he had been gone for quite some time. A little more over an hour actually. He sighed. Hopefully Kori wouldn't be mad at him for making her wait so long.

He entered their room and called out to her. "Kori, sorry I took so long... Kori?"

She was right where he had left her. Asleep.

Dick's jaw nearly dropped as he took in the sight of her sleeping form. _No way. _"She fell asleep."

He sat besides her, gazing at her in comtemplation. Should he wake her up now that he had returned? Or should he allow her to remain deep in her slumber? As he watched her snuggle in deeper to the pillow he knew his answer.

Dick laid down besides her, his stomach pressed against her back, and hooked an arm around her waist. Eventually he fell asleep too.

TT

Kori sneezed as she walked the halls of Jump City High School. By her side was Raven who passed her a tissue. Kori took it and said her thanks, then abruptly began a sneezing fit.

"You've been like this all day," Raven noted. "And earlier you couldn't stop coughing. I'm pretty sure you have a cold."

"If I have a cold it's no big d-_Achoo!_"

Raven crossed her arms. "You were saying?"

She sniffled. "I don't care if I have a cold. Dick and I have plans and no cold is going to ruin that."

"Fine, don't listen to me. You'll regret it later," Raven warned as she dropped her friend off by Dick's locker. She went inside her bag and handed Kori her small pack of tissues. The red head was all out of her own stash. "Here, looks like you need this more than I do."

"Thank you," Kori said, leaning against the locker that was besides Dick's. He had to go speak to a teacher but should be arriving at any minute. "So what are you going to do today?"

"Yoga and meditation," she paused, diverting her eyes towards a pair of students racing for the exit. "Gar's joining me."

Kori raised a brow. "That's interesting."

Raven shrugged, thinking nothing of it.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at home later then," she smiled. "Hug?"

"Not until you get rid of that cold," Raven declared as she walked down the hall.

Kori pouted, but her expression changed when she saw Dick.

"Hey, you ready to go?" he asked as he joined her side.

She nodded. "We'll have the house all to ourselves. My dad is working, my mom has taken Ryan to the aquarium with a friend of her's, Komi's got a date, and Raven is going to go meditate with Gar."

Dick raised his brow at the last part. "That's odd, but whatever," he threw an arm around Kori's shoulders and kissed her temple, grinning. "As long as your place is empty I won't complain."

TT

It was a silent ride to Kori's house. During the ride Dick sneaked glances at the red head sitting next to him. She looked drained and tired. By the time they reached her place she looked no better. Entering the house, Kori headed up the stairs, only to be hindered by Dick who took hold of her arm.

She looked at him in puzzlement. "Is something wrong?"

"I should be the one asking that question. Is everything okay? You don't look to good, and at school you couldn't stop coughing and sneezing."

"It's just a cold," Kori told him. "I'm fine."

He stepped up to her and placed his hand on her forehead. "Kori, you're burning up," he scolded.

"It's nothing," Kori dismissed nonchalantly, swatting his hand away. "I'll feel better once we're in my room and you're arms are wrapped around me."

She made to continue up the stairs but he stopped her again.

"Kori, I don't think today is a good day for us to do anything. You're sick."

"But... but we have the perfect opportunity today!"

"So? We'll have more opportunities later."

She bite her lip. "...What if we don't?"

"We will," he assured her.

"But... we have finals coming up and I leave for New York as soon as school ends... We probably won't get any alone time...," she added remorsefully, feeling as if she had disappointed him. "Are you willing to wait even longer?"

"I'll wait as long as I have to," he took her hand in his. "We don't have to rush this, Kori. Or plan it out either. When it's time it'll happen."

There was a pause.

"Promise?"

He smiled. "Promise."

She hugged him and he hugged her back, stroking her hair. For Kori he would continue to be patient. After all, she was worth the wait.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO starstruck2610, mysteree101, Star of Airdrie, clarkLover1, iBelieveInAngels, SparkleBlueLemon, Purple Sky Juliet, lonerinluv, Nightstar99, Magic Kiwi, Agent of the Divine One, Daniella TT AND Emily Snow21 FOR THE REVIEWS! YOU GUYS MAKE MY DAY!**

**So no sex for Dick and Kori in this story! But no worries, it's all apart of the master plan. The DRAMARAMA plan! **

**So only 3 more chapters left. Let's do this!**

**NEXT CHAPTER: JADE IS BACK, BUT HOW DOES THAT MAKE ROY FEEL?**

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	58. The story of us

"Ah boo boo," Ollie cooed, leaning his face near the infant that resided in the bouncer placed on the table. Lian made a noise and reached for his face. Ollie leaned a little closer. "It's grandpa. Yes, grandpa. Grandpa loves you. Oh yes he does. Yes he d-_ah_!"

With a tight grip Lian seized Ollie's goatee, yanking it roughly. Ollie dislodged himself from the baby's fingers and rubbed his chin.

"Quite the grip on that one," Ollie commented.

Roy held a bottle in his hand as he approached the table. "Tell me about it. You should have seen her when she grabbed Wally's nose," he placed the bottle on the table and picked up his baby, smiling. "Hello, angel."

He brought the bottle to Lian's lips and she began to consume the milk eagerly.

Ollie chuckled and tickled Lian's foot. "Someone was hungry."

"Sure looks like it," Roy agreed with a smile, placing a kiss on Lian's head.

"With an appetite like that it's no wonder she's gotten so big. Wait until Jade sees her. She probably won't recongnize her," joked Ollie.

Roy's lips pressed into a thin line and he evaded his eyes.

Ollie frowned. "Why the sudden face?"

Roy didn't respond.

"Oh, I get it," Ollie began. "You're nervous about her coming back today, aren't you? Look, she's going to be here in a little while so turn that frown upside down. You should be happy."

Lian began pushing the bottle away so Roy placed it on the table. He manuevered her to his shoulder and began to pat her back. "I'm not going to talk about Jade with you. There's nothing to talk about."

Ollie cocked a brow, regarding Roy. He sensed the irritation in his tone and decided not to probe any further. The last thing he wanted to do was argue with his young ward. He sighed, told Roy that he was there if he needed to talk, and left the kitchen.

TT

Roy had just finished putting Lian down for her nap when Jade arrived. He spotted her as he made his way down the stairs, his breath stolen. She came in after Dinah, a smile plastered across her face. Roy leaned against the banister for support, his legs feeling heavy as he focused on the girl's appearance. She still looked the same.

Dinah spotted him up the stairs and called him down. Ollie, who had greeted them at the door, looked up along with Jade. Now that he had been called out as the center of attention Roy felt no other choice but to go down to the foyer to join the rest of them. He gripped the banister. Had he not become frozen at the sight of Jade he would have safely retreated back to his room before being spotted. He sighed, not looking forward to the introduction that waited below.

Jade beamed at him as his feet reached the foyer and went to his side, her arms extended. "Roy..."

He saw what was coming and evaded her, taking a step back onto the stairs. Jade paused, her arms dropping to her sides as the two adults in the room looked on curiously.

She cleared her throat, trying to cover up the awkwardness of being rejected a hug. "Um... it's great to finally see you," she said, smiling shyly. "I've missed you."

She waited for a response, hoping for a similar sentiment, but recieved none. Roy just looked at her with unexpressive eyes, his face holding no frown or smile, devoid of any emotion. Ollie and Dinah looked at each other with worried glances.

Jade decided to move past Roy's unusual behavior and brought her focus onto something else. Her smile returned and she clapped her hands together. "Where's Lian? I've been anxious to see her."

"She's asleep," Roy answered, standing in the middle of the first step of the stairs with his arms crossed. He narrowed his eyes. "You shouldn't bother her."

The way he said it didn't make it sound like a friendly suggestion. It came out as an order, a warning even.

Dinah stepped into the situation, trying to lighten the mood. She put her hands on Jade's shoulders. "You have to unpack and settle in. Why don't you do that first, and then maybe by the time you're done Lian will be up. She's a lot more friendly after a good nap."

"Yeah, okay. That sounds good," Jade replied.

"Excellent! I'll help you with your things."

Once they gathered up Jade's bags the two disappeared upstairs.

Ollie narrowed his eyes at Roy once he saw the girl's reach the top. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," Roy said simply. He headed for the door. "I'm going out for a run. I'll be back later."

"Roy, wait just a second. We're not done talk-"

His words fell upon deaf ears as Roy walked out the door and bolted.

TT

A few days had passed since Jade's arrival and everyone began to fall into the old rhythm of things. Dinah and her went back to gossiping over tea and cookies, and her and Ollie went back to watching their favorite show and complaining about the characters they disliked most. The only one she failed to get back into the old swing of things was Roy. He barely spoke to her, barely looked at her, and never once touched her. When she tried to interact with him and Lian he refused her, making up excuses to get her out of the way. The family she shared with Roy seemed nonexistant now.

In the comfort of her room Jade shared her woes with Jenn. Unlike Roy, Jenn and the rest of their group had welcomed Jade back with open arms. Jade leaned against the headboard of her bed, phone to her ear. "He wants absolutely nothing to do with me. I think he wishes I never came back."

"Don't say that."

"Why not? It's true!" Jade sighed, planting a hand over her forehead. She could feel a headache coming along, that or tears. She hoped it was the first. Abruptly, a thought came to her mind and she suddenly felt panic run through her veins. "While I was away did he... did he meet another girl?"

"What? No."

Jade gritted her teeth in fury. If Roy was seeing another girl then someone was going to get a black eye, especially if that girl thought she could steal both Roy and Lian from her. "Are you sure? Don't lie to me, Jenn."

"I'm not lying. If Roy was seeing someone then I would know, and I would be right by your side raising hell."

Jenn's words comforted her and Jade relaxed, the panic and anger melting away. "So then... what's wrong with him? Why is he acting this way with me?"

"I don't know. I can try asking Wally. Maybe he knows what's up." There was a pause. "Or you could try talking to Roy yourself."

"I have tried but he's hellbent on avoiding me."

"So then make him listen. You're no pushover, Jade. Lock him in the closet if you have to."

A laugh escaped Jade's mouth. She was just about to reply to her friend when she heard a baby's wail. Lian.

"I'll call you back, Jenn," she said quickly as she leaped off the bed, tossing the phone on her pillow. She headed to Lian's nursery and went to her crib. She peered inside at the baby's crying face and their green eyes met. Carefully, Jade scooped the little girl in her arms and rocked her. Almost immediately the wails stopped.

"There, there. Mommy's here," Jade murmured. She giggled. "Aw, you just wanted some company, didn't you?"

A smile came to Jade's face. This was the first time since she had returned that she got to be alone with Lian. Usually there was always someone hovering over her shoulder supervising her time with the infant. It was understandable though, after all during Lian's first weeks of life she wasn't the best mother. They had their reasons to be a little concerned. But she was getting better and stronger everyday. She was now able to fully open her heart and accept the little girl. She had a lot of making up to do though. She had to prove herself worthy to Lian. Her smile grew wider as a pleasant feeling washed over her. She had no idea it could feel this good holding her little girl.

"What are you doing?"

A chill ran up Jade's spin in fright. She turned around apprehensively to meet Roy's gaze. He did not look happy.

"What are you doing in here by yourself?" Roy asked as he crossed over to her.

"Well, Lian was crying so I-"

"She was crying?" Roy asked, alarmed. His eyes narrrowed. "Why? What did you do to her? Did you hurt her?"

"What? No! Of course not."

Roy shook his head dismissively. He extended his arms. "Just give her to me."

Jade took a step back. "It's fine, Roy, I got her."

"Give her to me," he growled. "_Now_."

There was a pause and Jade considered her options. She could use this opportunity to speak to Roy, to make him listen to her, but that would involve using Lian... She couldn't do that. It was unfair. Defeated, she obeyed Roy's order and handed the little girl over.

Once she was secure in his arms Roy turned his back to Jade. "You can go now."

She didn't argue with him, and as she walked out she heard Roy speak to Lian.

"It's okay, Daddy's here. Daddy's here..."

Sadly, she turned away from the door, wanting nothing more than to be back in that room with Roy and her baby.

TT

Dinner was a quite affair. Ollie and Dinah silently watched Roy and Jade as they sent glares across the table directed at each other.

Finally Dinah interrupted the silence with a hope to bring some cheer to the table. "Jade, I really love this pasta! And the garlic bread taste amazing as well."

After being kicked out of the nursery Jade had fled to the kitchen and made herself busy by preparing dinner. During her time away she spent a lot of time with her therapist. It was her therapist who advised her to find a hobby to keep herself busy when she felt overwhelmed. It would serve as a good distraction and help her do something productive. Jade found her distraction within cooking.

"Thank you," she told Dinah as she placed her cup of water back onto the table.

"Roy," began Dinah as she turned her gaze towards the young red head. "Don't you like Jade's cooking?"

Roy looked up at Dinah, then at Jade. He held the young girl's gaze. "No."

Jade narrowed her eyes. "So then don't eat it."

"I won't," he dropped his fork on the table as he stood from his seat. "May I be excused?"

"No," Ollie stated. Roy reluctantly sat back down. "We need to talk. I wanna know what's the problem between you two."

"Ask her."

"Ask him."

Silence.

Roy stood from his seat, pointing an accusing finger at Jade. "She shouldn't even be here! How do we know she's not still insane?"

"I was never _insane_," Jade snapped, standing as well. "I was unwell. It wasn't my fault! I didn't know I was going to get postpardum depression!"

"Oh boo hoo," Roy responded, rolling his eyes.

"What? You think I made it up? Or that I wanted it? Because I didn't!"

He ignored her. "She can't be trusted. She should go back-"

"John told me Jade was ready to come back," Ollie confirmed. "I trust John's judgement."

"So we just let her back in? Just like that? What about Lian's safety?"

"I love Lian," Jade declared. "I'm her mother."

"You abandoned her!" Roy screamed. "I had to quit my job and be both mommy and daddy while you hid under some rock on vacation."

"It wasn't a vacation! And you're being an ass!"

"Enough!" Dinah snapped. "The both of you!"

Silence filled the dining room once more.

"I'm going for a walk," Roy muttered, quickly leaving and ignoring Ollie's demand that he stay. After he left Jade left too, announcing she wasn't hungry and retreated to her room.

Dinah sighed and fell back into her seat. Ollie rubbed his temples.

"Fuckin teenagers."

TT

"So the both of you are going out?" Jade asked.

Dinah smiled and adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder. "Yup."

"And you guys are taking Lian with you... why?" Roy questioned.

"Because we're good grandparents," Ollie confirmed with a grin. "And maybe while we're gone you two can settle things."

Roy and Jade looked at each other then quickly looked away, both frowning and crossing their arms.

"Play nice you two," Ollie advised as he held the door open for Dinah who pushed the carriage Lian resided in. Once they went through the door he followed, the door shutting behind him.

Jade sneaked a glance at Roy, her frown disappearing. She was still angry at him, but one thing she learned in therapy was that anger was not something to hold onto. It was like an anchor chained at your ankle. It would only drag you down into a dark path.

As Roy began to climb the stairs, she followed. "Um, Roy, do you think we could talk about what happened last night at dinner?"

"I'd rather not," he responded as he entered his room. He attempted to close the door but Jade shoved it open, causing Roy to stumble backwards. He glared at her as she came into his room. "Jade, what the hell?"

"I'm sorry but I would rather talk to you now," she placed her hands on her hips, recalling Jenn's words. She wasn't a pushover and she would make Roy listen. "Ever since I got back you've been acting like an asshole and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of you avoiding me and pushing me away. And I've had enough of your attitude when it comes to Lian. She's my daughter too, Roy."

"Oh, fuck you."

Her eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"I said 'fuck you'," he jabbed a finger in her direction. "Fuck you! Lian and I were doing just fine without you! We don't _need _you and we don't _want _you!"

"_We?_ I'm sorry 'we' as in who? Because from the looks of it the only one with a problem here is you_"_

"Me?"

"Yeah, _you!_" she poked his chest with her finger, glaring at him. "What's your problem? Why are you so angry at me?"

He looked away, his hands clenched. "Because..."

"Because? Because of what, Roy? Tell me!"

"Because you _left _me!" he screamed, meeting her gaze. "You left me all alone with Lian! Don't you realize how scared I was? Suddenly I was a single parent. And then... and then you never even bothered to contact me. Not once did you try! You _fucking _abandoned me!"

He broke then, she could tell by how his eyes began to water. She placed a hand over her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut. She never realized how much damage she had inflicked upon him. At first, when she left, she was furious at him. She felt betrayed and she stubbornly ignored his existence, but then she started to get better. Slowly, little by little, she worked at getting well. Eventually she accepted the help that was being provided to her, and once that happened she only focused on that. She was so concerned with getting well and returning home that she forgot to share with all of the people waiting for her. Jade felt terrible. No wonder he was so hostile at her.

"I'm just tired of you hating me," he whimpered. "I know I deserve it since it was my fault that you got postpardum depression. Had I taken better care of you it never would have happened." He kicked the chair that was placed by his desk, his hands clenching again as his tears flowed freely. "Dammit, it's all my fault! I couldn't protect my family..."

Her head snapped up and she looked at him. Her ignorance had lead him to believe such a thing. She immediately went to his side, clutching his shoulders. "You've got it all wrong. I don't hate you. And I definitely don't blame you. I never did," she hugged him, praying that he would believe in her words. "I'm so sorry."

It took a moment for him to respond, but when he did he clutched her waist, bringing her closer. "I'm sorry... I didn't-"

"Shh, don't apologize. It was my fault," she murmured. She looked up at him, her heart aching as she thought about how while everyone was taking care of her, no one was took care of Roy.

He looked into her eyes, placing a hand on her cheek. "... I've missed you. I've missed you _so_ much, Jade, that it hurt. I don't want you to leave me again."

"I won't," she kissed him softly and then pulled away, smiling reassuringly. "Promise."

He captured her lips again, igniting a stronger kiss. Their hands began to roam as they became familiar with each other again. He dipped his lips to the crook of her neck, something he remembered she liked. Her hands grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. Eventually the garment was removed. Others followed in its wake.

TT

Jade stroked Roy's bare chest lazily. "That was nice."

He laughed and drapped an arm over her shoulder. "Just nice? How about something a little more grand like marvelous or wonderful, or... _again_."

It was her turn to laugh. "Maybe later."

He grumbled, then smiled as an idea came to him. "Fine, but in the mean time you should make me some of your pasta."

She lifted a brow, peering at him. "I thought you didn't like my pasta."

"I lied. I was angry and I wanted to tick you off."

"It worked," she plopped herself up on her elbows, resting her chin in the palms of her hands. "What about the other stuff you said? Was that all out of anger too or did you really mean them?"

"I was angry," he confirmed, feeling ashamed. "And I was taking it out on you instead of acting civil and talking it through. I'm sorry. I know you had no control over what happened to you."

She returned a hand to his chest, admiring the beat of his heart. There was a moment of silence before she spoke. "Let's make a promise to each other... Let's both promise to do our best, not just for our relationship but for Lian too. Our family."

"I promise."

"Good," she kissed him once then tapped his chest. "I'll go get started on that pasta."

She untangled herself from the sheets and stood up. Roy's eyes widened as his gaze traveled over her body. With incrediable speed he had his arms around her.

"Oh, Jade," he whispered in her ear before he kissed her shoulder. "I do believe it is 'later'."

She smirked and looked at her wrist, pretending she wore a watch. "I do believe you're right."

They fell back into the bed in a fit of laughter.

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO SparkleBlueLemon, iBelieveInAngels, lonerinluv, Star of Airdrie, clarkkLover1, Purple Sky Juliet, chipmunkswillrule13, Magic Kiwi, Emily Snow21, Agent of the Divine One, Daniella TT, mysteree101, AND BerryDrops FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! THANKS SO MUCH YOU GUYS!**

**TWO. MORE. CHAPTERS! WOOHOO! ARE Y'ALL EXCITED 'COS I KNOW I AM!**

**NEXT CHAPTER: HAS KITTEN HIT ROCK BOTTOM?**

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	59. Rock bottom

Kitten sat with her legs tucked under her. Behind her was Cindy in a similar position as she ran a brush through Kitten's hair. It had taken a lot of convincing on Kitten's part to get her friend to come over, and as soon as she did she put the girl to work. Cindy might as well be doing something useful while she expressed herself. Loudly.

"Mandy is such a stupid bitch!" Kitten vented. Cindy kept her lips sealed. She didn't want to interrupt the raging blonde in fear of her own safety. "After everything that we've been through, after everything that I've done for her-"

Cindy poundered exactly what it was that Kitten had ever done for Mandy.

"-she just turns around and throws it all in my face! She betrayed me! That slut! We have to get revenge on her! There is no way she can get away with making Kitten Moth look like a fool!"

"But maybe you should... uh... just leave her alone," Cindy suggested, lowering the brush onto her lap. Mandy was still her friend, and even though she was to scared to stop Kitten from insulting her, she felt she could at least keep the peace. She didn't want to be caught in the middle of a Kitten versus Mandy war. "Technically no one saw you two argue, so really no one can prove she made you look like a fool."

Kitten's eye twitched. "Are you taking her side over mine?"

"No, no," Cindy moved away are Kitten turned to glare at her. "I'm not-"

"You better not take her side Cindy or I swear...," Kitten gritted her teeth and shook the brush at Cindy. "I'll take you down along with Mandy!" She crossed her arms and huffed. "Remember Mandy is out of our group. She's nothing but a no good tramp."

Cindy lowered her head and sniffled.

"Oh, you're not going to cry now are you?"

"No," Cindy muttered, rubbing her eyes.

Kitten sighed. She had forgotten that Cindy could be very sensitive. "Look, I'm sorry," she admitted reluctantly. She crossed over and sat by the girl, throwing and arm around her shoulders. "Hey, how about we go to the mall tomorrow. Sounds good?"

Surely a trip to the mall would smooth this incident over between them.

Cindy froze. "Uh... I... uh... can't. Not tomorrow. I have plans. Um... my grandma is visiting. I'm in charge of getting her from the airport."

Kitten flopped on the bed, laying on her back. "Boring! Damn, you can be so lame at times, Cindy, I swear. Let me know when your grandma is out of town so we can have some real fun."

"Yeah, okay," Cindy got up from the bed and went to retrieve her purse. "I got homework I need to do so I better get home."

Kitten rolled over on her side to look at the other blonde. "Whatever."

Cindy shut the bedroom door behind herand made a dash for the stairs. Relief flooded her. She was glad to be away from Kitten.

TT

It was Saturday, and even though Kitten had no one to accompany her to the mall she decided to go anyway. She felt it would be better to go to the mall and actually do something such as picking up hot guys and hitting the best stores, rather than staying at home with nothing to do. With a latte in one hand and her purse and shopping bag in the other, Kitten decided she would hit the food court next. There was bound to be guys there that she could flirt with.

For awhile she drifted, eyeing out the land and seizing up those with testorterone. He looked okay but he was too thin... His face was cute but his hair was all wrong... Too short... Horrible taste in fashion... A little on the chubby side... Goth guy? Kitten wrinkled her nose. No thank you.

Nothing interesting caught her eyes but as Kitten turned her gaze in a new direction something did catch her attention. Something horrible.

Mandy was sitting at a table with a slice of pizza in front of her, laughing at something her companion said. The sight was atrocious but that isn't what made Kitten focus on that table. What made her focus on the table was the fact that Cindy was sitting there with Mandy, the two of them now laughing together.

Kitten dropped her latte and hurriedly crossed the distance to the table, her eyes narrowed and her heels clicking, or rather stomping, on the ground.

The laughter between the two blondes died down when they saw the girl in pink nearing. The grin that had been on Mandy's face moments before disappeared. "Oh no..."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kitten demanded furiously.

Mandy sighed. "Look, Kitten-"

"I'm not talking to you bitch!" Kitten's blue eyes zoned in on Cindy who squirmed in her seat. "What are _you _doing here? With _her_?"

Cindy didn't reply. She was to petrified to respond.

"So that whole shit about grandma was a lie, huh. You just wanted to sneak off with this slut behind my back! What kind of friend are you?"

"But, Kitten... Mandy and I... we never stopped being friends so I thought... it would be okay."

Kitten stomped her foot and dropped her bags so she could plant both hands on the table. "Are you retarded? She fucking betrayed me, Cindy! She's out of the group and out of our lives! Now get your shit. We're leaving."

"But I-"

"She doesn't have to go with you," Mandy snapped, standing up. "You're not the boss of her."

"Stay out of this bitch. Cindy, hurry up!"

Cindy obediently did what she was told.

"Cindy, sit down," Mandy snapped.

Cindy sat back down.

"Cindy, if you don't do what I say I swear I will make you regret it."

"Don't threaten her bitch!"

"You're a bitch!"

"Slut!"

"Whore!"

"Future stripper!"

"Why don't you go give head at the corner!"

"Why don't you go fuck behind a dumpster! Oh wait, you're already done that. Twice!"

"Stop it! Stop it!" Cindy cried, rising from her seat. She looked at both girls, her eyes pleading. "Can't you two just make up already?"

"Sorry, but not this time," Mandy declared.

Kitten crossed her arms. "That's just fine with me. C'mon, Cindy. You can hold my bag as punishment."

"But, Kitten-"

"Look," Kitten interrupted. "Either you come with me now or you stay here. But if you stay here we won't be friends anymore."

Mandy sat in her seat. "Decision is all yours, Cindy. There won't be any hard feelings...," she glared at Kitten. "Can't say the same for that one though."

Cindy looked at both girls. The expressionless Mandy who was hiding her true feeling about the situation and the smirking Kitten who already thought she had this won. Who to pick?

There was a pause... then, slowly, Cindy sat down.

The smirk feel from Kitten's face. "Are you... Are you seriously picking her... over _me?"_

Cindy adverted her eyes to the floor and bowed her head.

Kitten sucked in a breath and picked up her bag and purse. "Alright... I see how it is...," she straightened and glared. "This is just peachy. I hope the two of you have a great time together."

Cindy looked up. "Kitten, I'm so-"

"_Shut up _you backstabbing little bitch! I hate you! I hate the both of you!" she shouted before turning on her heel and leaving as fast as she could.

Cindy sighed and buried her face in her hands. Mandy squeezed her shoulder. "You made the right choice. You couldn't stay under her heel forever."

Cindy silently nodded.

Outside, Kitten marched to her car, bumping into people as she did. Once she made it to her pink convertable with the black hood up she threw her purse and bag on the front passenger seat and climbed in behind the steering wheel, slamming the door behind her. She took a moment to breath before she reached for her purse and pulled out her cell phone.

Angrily she dialed a number, her thoughts racing. She would make Mandy and Cindy pay. They would both feel sorry for abandoning her, for making a fool out of her. Revenge. That's what she needed. To hell with Mandy and Cindy. To hell with friendship. She wanted to get even.

Whoever she had called finally picked up. "Hello?"

She smirked. "Hell, Wally."

"...Kitten?"

"The one and only," she answered. "Look, I need your help with something. I have a plan to embarrass Mandy and Cindy but I need your help to pull it off. Jenn too. Is your slutty girlfriend with you now? I'd rather explain things to you both at the same time-"

"My girlfriend is not a slut."

"That's debatable. Anyways, I want you and Jenn to-"

"Whatever you have planned you can handle by yourself. Jenn and I don't work for you."

"Did you forget about what I can do to you if you refuse me," she taunted, then frowned when she heard him laugh. "What's so funny?"

"You are. I can't believe you haven't realized it yet."

"Realized what?" she questioned. Why did this idiot sound so giddy?

"Mandy gave us the DVD you had of me and Jenn. And she also told us you made no copies. So no DVD and no copies mean you have no way of blackmailing us anymore." The way he sounded, she could just tell he was smiling. "Guess that means we no longer have to do what you say! ... Toodles."

_Click. _

Kitten dropped her phone, pausing just a moment, before she gathered all her rage and repeatedly hit her steering wheel and stomped her feet. She screamed.

TT

Kitten leaned against her car, tapping her foot impatiently. After her spazz attack in her car had ended she called Ian. She needed to be with someone now, and despite what had happened between them last time they were together, she felt he was better than nothing.

She caught sight of him strolling up from her left, and before he was close, she ran to him. It didn't matter to her if they were in broad daylight and that people could see, that didn't stop her from jumping on him. Her arms and legs wrapped around his body and she pushed herself as close as possible, burying her face in the crook of his neck. She bit him on his neck and then licked the spot she had bit.

Her voice was laced with desire as she breathed into his ear. "I want you."

Ian responded to this by carrying her off into a small alley and shoving her against a wall. He teased the flesh on her neck by alternating between kissing, nibbling, biting and licking. He reached her ear and stopped. "What do you want?"

She could feel his hands running along the length of her legs. "You."

He pulled away then, dropping her flat on her rump on the dirty ground. He smirked at her. "That doesn't answer my question."

She stood up and glared. She wasn't in the mood for one of his games. "Dammit, Ian, that hurt. What the hell!"

"Perhaps I should rephrase," he said as he trapped her against the wall, his hands on either side of her head. He leaned in close. "What is that you want from me? A kiss? A date? Do you want me to fuck you? That's fine with me just so long as it's only that."

Her eyes widened. No one had ever talked to her like that. She to others, yes, but never had she been on the recieiving end of such harsh bluntness. She didn't know how to respond. Of course she wanted more from Ian, he was a powerful young man with many connections, but he wasn't looking for a commitment. She bit her lip, her mind debating. Should she settle for less or try to negotiate for more?

Ian sighed, already bored. "I'm leaving."

As his hands left the wall, Kitten grabbed his shirt desperately. "Wait! It's fine! I'll take it!" she placed her forehead on his chest. "Just please stay with me..."

He moved away. "Sorry, but that was the wrong answer," he chuckled. "Such a predictable stupid girl. You're so easy and weak it's pathetic."

"But I... Isn't that what you want? A fling?"

"It's no concern of yours what I want," he told her as he walked further into the alley. "But I will share this with you. No girl of mines would so quickly throw away what she wants."

She glared at his back. "You make no sense you... you... IDIOT!"

He had already disappeared, leaving Kitten alone as she slumped down to her knees.

TT

Night had fallen over Jump City marking the end of day, but the beginnging of a party. A gala was taking place in the center of town and all of the big shot businessmen and women were invited. Such events were important for those major figures. It allowed them to socialize and update the press leading to future business and publicity.

Kori found herself cornered by an aggressive reporter.

"Miss Anders, is it true that you'll be spending your summer in New York trying to be model?" the short spikey haired brunette woman asked, recorder in hand.

Kori smiled gracefully. "Yes. I'll be working with Phey Zzon."

"I imagine your father isn't exactly pleased with this. Modeling has never been an agenda in the Anders line of business."

"On the contrary my father is very pleased. He's looking forward to me stepping out into my own light."

The reporter nodded. "Mr. Grayson, what's your take on all of this? You two are involved correct."

Dick, who stood silently behind Kori, stepped up with a smile. "I'm proud of my girl. Now if you'll excuse us..."

He took Kori's hand and lead her away from the pesky woman. They released sighs of relief once they were greeted by Toni and Roy.

"What they bother you about?" Toni asked as she smoothed out her red dress.

"They wanted to hear all about what awaits me in New York," Kori answered. "You?"

"My engagement to Alain," Toni pouted. "I wish he was here but step-daddy insisted he couldn't come as my date."

"I know how you feel. Ollie dragged me to this thing but told me Jade couldn't come," Roy reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out some gum. He popped one into his mouth and chewed. "But at least this way she gets to spend more time with Lian. Plus Alain's helping her so I don't have to worry about her getting overwhelmed."

Toni smiled. "Isn't my fiance the greatest."

"Are you guys serious with that?" Dick asked. When Toni and Alain had announced their engagement a second time he had thought they were joking.

"More serious than a tight ass teacher during grading."

"Aw, that reminds me how close we are to the end of the school year. We're going to be seniors," Kori remarked.

"And then comes college," added Toni.

"The future," Roy uttered.

Suddenly they all felt small and depressed, something that was evident on their faces. Except for Dick. He was thinking positively and attempted to cheer his friends up.

"C'mon guys, it's a party, albeit a boring stiff one mainly for the adults, but still!" his shoulders slumped at their lack of enthusiam. "Okay, you know what, I'm going to go grab some food for us, and when I get back I better see three happy faces. Especially you, Kori. You know I love to see you smile."

As Dick separated from his group a lonely Kitten drifted throughout the party. She was gloomy. She rarely knew anyone at this party, and if she did they were merely associates who she didn't care to speak to, and she was disappointed with the fact that no reporters had bothered to speak to her. A waiter with champagne passed by her and she swiftly stole a glass from him and gulped it down. She was so lonely. If only if she had some company...

Kitten stumbled and bumped into someone. Before she could fall strong arms wrapped around her, securing her to her feet. She looked up and her eyes widened. The one who had caught her was... "Dick."

She heard him groan. "I didn't realize the person I bumped into was you. If I had I would have let you fall."

Dick removed his arms, ready to pull away, but she held on tightly to his arms, her fingers curling around the black sleeves of his suit jacket. "Wait, don't leave me."

"Are you kidding me...," his eyes narrowed. "How many times do I have to say it? I'm dating Kori."

He pulled away but her grip became tighter. "No, I didn't mean it like that," she bit her lip. "Can we talk?"

Against his better judgement he relented. "Fine. But only if you let go of me."

Immediately she withdrew her hands.

Dick tucked his hands into his pockets. "Hurry up and say what you have to say. And I swear if you pull any tricks-"

"I'm not trying to pull any tricks. Promise."

He cocked a brow. "That doesn't mean much coming from you."

She ignored that. "Can you give me the truth?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the truth... about what you think of me."

There was a pause.

"You want me to be completely honest?"

She nodded her head. Maybe if she got some perspective from someone else she could begin to understand what was the problem with Ian, Mandy and Cindy. Wally too since he had rejected her some time ago.

"Well to be completely honest... I think you're a bitch. You're rude and nasty and loud all the time. You don't care about other people's feelings. You're manipulative and devious. You're not reliable or trustworthy at all. You're selfish and materialistic. You have absolutely no control of your anger. You lie and cheat. You don't seem to have any real goals and you wear too much make-up," Dick rubbed his chin in thought. "I think that's just about it. We done?"

She didn't respond and Dick shrugged, taking this as a cue to leave. Kitten remained frozen as people moved about her. To her right, she could overhear someone's conversation.

"Did you know that Anders girl is going into modeling with that Phey Zzon fellow?" said a plump woman.

"Which Anders girl?" asked her companion.

"The youngest one with the red hair."

"Oh how marvelous. Her parents must be proud."

Kitten's eye twitched. Her hands and jaw clenched and her body shook. What. The. _FUCK! _Her eyes narrowed as her mind began to race with thoughts. Kori was going to model with Phey Zzon... Ian dropped her on her ass... Cindy sitting besides Mandy... No longer friends... Dick telling her she was a bitch... Alone... She was alone... She had nothing and no one and she was alone...

Kitten screamed.

The music floating from the piano ceased and the people froze to look at the young blonde in the pink cocktail dress.

Kitten stopped screaming and instead went to growling under her breath. She stormed up to a table and took a chair, dragging it behind her. Curious eyes followed her. Kitten stopped infront of a grand ice sculpture in the shape of an angel. She narrowed her eyes at it, lifted the chair up and screamed as she smashed the wood against the ice, breaking the head off the sculpture. Moving on she went to the table that held the food. Upon reaching it she began to scream again and throw plates on the floor, shattering them at her feet. She then continued to throw all the food she could get a hold of on the floor and followed up the action with squishing them under her foot.

A waiter moved over to her, attempting to intervene, but was unprepared to face Kitten's wrath and was immediately kicked inbetween the legs when he came close to her. With the waiter fallen at her feet Kitten moved on to any flowers and artwork she could find, leaving a destructive path in her wake. She was just about to destroy a vase with a chair she had plucked from a table when a security guard stopped her. The security guard dragged the kicking and screaming teenager over to her parents. It was then that her father took hold of her arm and dragged her to the exit, her mother silently following. For a moment Kitten went along silently, but out of the crowd that had formed to watch her exit was Kori.

Kitten snarled at her. "You... I _hate _you! I hope you rot you fucking bitch! It's not fair! You get everything and I get nothing!"

"Kitten!" her mother took hold of her shoulders, turning her away from the red head. She looked at Kori. "I apologize Miss Anders."

The small family of three took their leave and hurried home.

TT

Kitten sat with her arms crossed in the comfort of her living room. Her mother sat across form her and her father paced the space between them in a livid rant. He went on and on about how stupid she was and how much she embarrrassed the family. She rolled her eyes, barely paying attention. Whatever he had to say she could care less. He was barely home most of the time anyway, always consumed in his work. That was reason enough not to pay attention to him.

At the end of his rant he looked at her and glared at her. "I want an explanation now. What drove you to that kind of behavior tonight?"

She looked away. "It's none of your business."

"Kitten-," her mother began but was cut off by her father.

"It is my business young lady. I'm your father and you will answer me!"

Silence.

He threw his hands in the air and walked towards the fire place, frustrated. "Let me guess. You saw some girl at the party who had the same dress as you, or maybe it's because your car isn't the right shade of pink. Or maybe the mall ran out of lip stick! Something dumb pist you off and you felt the need to punish your mother and I and ruin the party. What is everyone going to think of our family now?"

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Punish? You think I acted that way to punish you guys," she laughed and then glared at him. "I could give a shit about you. I did what I did for me! Because my life is a fucking complicated mess!"

"Your life isn't complicated," he dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "I give you everything you want. You were born with a silver spoon and it's gone to your head. You're a spoiled child, Kitten!"

"My life is complicated! I'm hurting dammit!" she shouted, tears coming to her eyes. "I have no friends, no boyfriend... my rival has everything going for her... And the one person who understood me most, who liked me for me... He's in the _fucking_ ground!"

Her father, now feeling guilty, opened his arms to her for a hug.

Kitten moved away. "Don't touch me!"

She then ran for the stairs, rushing up to her room. Her parents then heard the slam of her bedroom door.

Her mother's countenance was one of distress. "We have to do something to help her."

"I know," replied the older man with a sigh. "Don't worry, we'll think of something."

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO iBelieveInAngels, lonerinluv, longliveteentitans, BerryDrops, Magic Kiwi, Daniella TT, ClarkLover1, Purple Sky Juliet, mysteree101, Emily Snow21, SparkleBlueLemon, Agent of the Divine One AND Kory and Richard Grayson FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! I LOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM AND I CAN'T THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH! Y'ALL THE BEST!**

**NEXT CHAPTER: WHAT DO KITTEN'S PARENTS DECIDE? WHAT IS BRUCE UP TO? WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABS? WHAT'S GOING ON WITH KAREN AND MAL? WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE CHARACTERS? ALSO, DICK AND KORI'S FINAL MOMENTS! SCHOOL IS OVER AND SUMMER HAS BEGAN! PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR Hanging By A Moment's **_**FINAL CHAPTER!**_

_**...**_** YEAH, I PROBABLY HYPED UP THAT DESCRIBITON A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH, BUT I CAN'T HELP IT, I'M EXCITED! WE'VE FINALLY GOTTEN TO THE LAST CHAPTER! WOOHOO!**

**So... long story short my older sister Crystal is a complete b-no, matter of fact, she's a Kitten! Well anyway, she says she's going to take her computer away, the same computer that I use to type up my stories and upload them onto FanFiction. Hopefully she'll change her mind, but if not I better get to work on the next chapter so I can update it before she comes back home. Wish me luck with my own DRAMARAMA!**

**REVIEW**

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	60. Hanging By A Moment

"Last day of school! Yeah!" shouted one hyper teenager as he took off his shirt and spun it above his head in a helicopter motion. He continued to cheer as he ran down the hall with Mr. Mod chasing him in an attempt to get the rowdy boy to act calmly. The pair passed by Kori and friends whilst in the middle of comparing their report cards. Raven cocked an eyebrow while Gar outright laughed.

"Well you don't see that everyday," Vic commented, a smile on his face.

"Not everyday is the last day of school," Toni reminded him, slipping her arms around Alain's elbow and leaning her head against him.

"Dudes, we're all gonna be seniors next year! Aw yeah! Oh!" Gar began to shake his butt and pump his arms. Vic, who was closest to him, mimicked his moves and they began to say "oh yea" together. They danced a little bit too close to Raven who then promptly slapped them both to make them stop.

"With the way you two act I'm surprised you guys have even made it this far," she said as she crossed her arms, however a small smile graced her face so they knew she was only kidding.

"The same can be said for Wally," quipped Jenn.

"What? As if," he said as he wrapped his arm around Jenn's stomach and poked her cheek with his free hand. "I'll have you know I did way better than last year."

"Okay, enough about grades and school," Dick said. He placed a hand behind Kori's lower back. "You guys are all coming to Kori's going away party later right?"

There was a chorus of "yes", "absolutely positively", "definitely", and "hell yea".

"Terrific!" Kori exclaimed happily, a broad smile coming to her face and she clapped her hands together. "Then we shall see you later."

Alain smiled. "Going to spend some quality time together?"

"You know it!" Dick announced gleefully, kissing Kori and then taking her hand. With a smile the pair strolled off.

"We should get going to, Alain," Toni noted, pulling Alain's arm. "We'll be late for our appointment."

"What appointment?" he asked before Toni hushed him and dragged him away.

Wally spun Jenn around so they were face to face. "Kill time with me?"

She rolled her eyes, faking displeasure. "Do I have a choice."

"Nope," he answered, a grin on his face. He then abruptly tossed her over his shoulder and took off down the hallway, Jenn punching his back and screaming to be put down.

"I'm going to get going too. Need a ride, Karen?" Roy asked. Karen's house wasn't far from his own and it wasn't unheard of for the pair to carpool with each other.

"Nah, I have plans with Mal. But thanks for offering pretty boy," Karen said as she ruffled Roy's hair.

"Quit it! You're messing it up!"

She laughed and stepped away from the group, waving as she did so. "Later guys."

Roy had already taken out his comb and was fixing his hair as he also left. "See you at the party."

There was silence. Raven coughed and shyly glanced at Gar, prepared to make a suggestion for the two of them, when she felt Vic's hand clasp over her shoulder. His other hand clasped over Gar's shoulder as well. The bald teen smiled at the two.

"And then there were three. So, what are we doing?"

TT

Karen sat in the front passenger seat of Mal's car, her hand fiddling with the radio knob in aggravation. Nothing good was on. She turned the radio off and slumped in her seat, her gaze turning to look outside the window. A frown graced her features.

"What's bothering you?" Mal asked as he pulled into a parking lot.

"Nothing."

"Bull. C'mon, talk to me," his hands reached for her ribs. "If you don't tell me what's wrong I'll tickle you."

She swatted his hands away. "Don't!"

His hands retreated and he regraded her seriously. Karen rarely snapped at him. In fact, it was such a rariety he couldn't recall a time when she did. "Okay, now I know something is bothering you. What is it?"

She looked at him with narrowed eyes and straightened in her seat. She then pointed a finger at the dangling tassle from his graduation cap that hung from his mirror. "That."

He looked at the tassle, eyebrow raised. "What about it?"

"Did you need to put that in your car? I already know you graduated! You don't have to rub it in my face."

"I wasn't trying to. I just thought it would look cool-"

"Why don't you just use your dipolma as a goddamn bumper sticker! Hell, maybe you can convert your graduation cap into some sort of hood ornament!"

"Karen, what's this really about? Did I do something to piss you off?"

"Not yet!"

The car became engulfed in silence.

Mal raised a brow. "What do you mean 'not yet'?"

Karen sighed. She would have rather addressed the elephant in the room at a different time. "It's about you going to college."

He lowered his eyes. "Oh."

"Yeah, _oh_," she turned to him. "Mal, you're going away for college. How are we supposed to work when you're like a ga-zillion miles away?"

Mal shifted uncomfortably. He should have known the issue of him going away was going to come up soon. He just wished had had prepared himself for this conversation. Honestly he had no clue what to say. All he could think about was how if he had met Karen sooner, before he had made his decision on college, was that they would not be having this conversation. Before senior year had started Mal had everything planned, and having a girlfriend was not on his plan. Then he met Karen. She was everything he could have wanted in a girl: talented, smart, beautiful, kind and she could throw a good punch. Unfortunately the gears were set into motion and he couldn't change his original goals, but he did know one thing. He loved Karen.

"I know it's unfair to ask and I'm not sure how we'll pull it off, but maybe we could try having a long-distance relationship," Mal suggested.

Karen looked away. "I don't know, Mal..."

"It could work! There's letters and webcam and we can talk on the phone...," he nodded to himself, surely this plan could work. "We can call each other and then I'll come home on breaks and holidays-"

"Mal... I think we should break up," she said, turning away. "Think about it, you're going to college and I'm going to be a senior. We're both going to be really busy and-"

"It can work though! Karen," he took her hands and kissed her knuckles. "I don't want to break up."

"Neither do I but...," she paused to kiss him. When their lips parted she leaned her forehead against his. "Oh, Mal, I just don't know. I love you-"

"And I love you."

"-but I just don't think a long distance relationship is possible. When you go off to college you're going to be in a completely different state, literally. You're going to be surrounded by new people and going to parties... I don't want you to have to worry about the girl back home. I want you to be able to enjoy your college life and explore everything it has to offer."

He leaned back in his chair and released one of her hands. That was one of the main reasons why he didn't want to date anyone his senior year, so he could start off fresh when he went to college. He clenched her hand that still remained locked with his. "But I want you. I want to enjoy life and explore everything with _you_."

Karen fought the urge to cry. Surely there was a solution that could satisfy them both. "I don't know... Maybe we should... maybe we should just go on break."

He looked at her and nodded.

There was a pause.

"What's a break?"

TT

Roy leaned against the doorframe, a smile on his face. He had just returned home and went in search of Jade. He found her in the nursery with Lian in her arms and a book on her lap. The sight was just adorable and he was just about to get his camera when he was spotted.

Jade put a finger to her lips, a signal to be as quiet as possible. "She's sleeping."

He strolled into the room and put a hand on the back of the rocking chair, hindering it from moving backwards. He ducked his head and captured Jade's lips in a kiss. When he pulled away he motioned for her to pass him the baby. Once Lian was in his arms he gave the girl a small peck on the forehead before gently placing her in her crib. As he bent down to put the girl in the crib Jade spotted something sticking out of his back pocket and swiftly stole it. She opened the paper up as she wandered off to the door and grinned. Roy's report card.

Roy spotted her and headed for the door too. "Sneaky."

"Don't be bashful. You did awesome this semester," she poked his chest. "My man the senior. I'm proud of you."

He shrugged nonchalantly, acting cool. "It was nothing."

She snorted. "Right. If Mr. Mod was here he'd give you a test for saying something like that."

Roy chuckled. "So how was Lian? Was she any trouble?"

"Nope. She knocked out pretty quick once I started reading to her."

"What'd you read her?"

Jade blushed. "Oh... just this book about Paris."

"Yeah, because that's what every infant wants their parent to read to them. What, Cat in the Hat too much of a challenge?"

She slapped his arm while he laughed. "Shut up. I just thought it would be nice is all. You know, educational."

"Right," he rubbed his arm, her playful hit had some strength to it. "So why Paris?"

"I don't know," she answered, shrugging. "It interests me. It would be a dream come true to go there."

"So then let's go."

Her eyes snapped up to look at him. "Excuse me?"

"I said 'let's go'. We can go if you want to. We would have to get permission from Ollie but I don't see why he would say no. Beats hanging around here all summer."

She couldn't help herself, she squealed and jumped into his arms. "Roy, you're the best!"

Lian began to cry.

The young parents looked at each other.

Jade smiled sheepishly. "Oops."

TT

Raven had reluctantly tagged along with Gar and Vic to the arcade. She stood in the corner as the two of them duked it out over some game that included spaceships, she wasn't really paying attention. She had other more important matters pressing on her mind. Matters that dealth with Gar and summer.

After Terra's death Gar had became an emotional wreck. Sure he laughed and played with the others, but that was more for their benefit rather than his own. She had discovered this fact during a previous outing...

Her, Gar, Dick, Kori and Vic had all gone to the movies some time ago. Throughout the course of the day Gar appeared to be having a great time. He smiled, laughed, and told corny jokes. He acted as he normally did, but that's when she caught him.

They had ended up going to get pizza for lunch and before they entered Gar had excused himself, spotting a book store near by. He said there was a book Rita wanted to get her hands on and that he wanted to see if they had it. He told the others to go ahead and order the usual. No one thought anything of it and proceeded. Raven had caught him by accident. She had remembered their was a book she wanted to buy as well so she dismissed herself from the booth and headed off to the bookstore. That's when she found Gar slumped up against the bookstore with his head buried in his knees. He was crying.

That's why Raven had taken it upon herself to plan a getaway. Now that school was over she could wisk Gar away up to the mountains for a camping trip. It would be perfect for him. He wouldn't have to worry about the mass amounts of people or this mask he was so determined to wear to hide what he was truly feeling. She had wanted to run the idea by him earlier but Vic had interrupted.

She sighed and took two sodas off of the counter. She had gotten thirsty and went to get some drinks. She then turned and walked over to her boys. Perfect timing to seeing as how they had just lost the game they were playing.

"Here," she said, pushing one of the drinks into Gar's hands.

Gar, surprised, took it apprehensively. "Uh... thanks."

She gave a court nod and then brought the second cup closer to her face. Her lips were jsut about to clasp over the straw when the drink was plucked from her hands by Vic. The tall boy zipped up the contents of the cup mereily, and once he had his fill he smiled broadly.

"Thanks, Raven!"

She loved Vic, she truly did. He was like an older brother to her. But right now she just really wanted to smack his head off. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Shouldn't you be out with Allison right about now. Today's her last day of school too, right."

Vic shrugged. "Allison and I broke up like two weeks ago."

Raven's gaze softened and her arms fell to her sides. "Vic, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Don't be. We just didn't click. The making out was fun though, I'm gonna miss that," he paused a moment to mourn the loss of Allison's orange flavored lip gloss kisses before perking up again. "So little lady, Kori tells me that you're planning a camping trip."

Raven resisted the urge to slap her forehead. She had mentioned the idea to Kori but she neglected to tell her the part about only bringing Gar with her. "I thought it might be fun to get away from the city for awhile, you know, considering everything that has happened..."

Gar stopped slurping his soda and looked at her curiously. Their eyes locked and for a moment, Raven felt he knew what she was thinking. "Need a hiking buddy?"

"I wouldn't mind it," Raven replied indifferently, smooth as always.

Gar flexed his muscles. "You know I'm really good at scaring away bears."

"Yeah, but only 'cos they're terrified of your smell," Vic teased. Gar poked his tongue at him. "If you guys are going camping count me in. I could use a break away from the city myself."

"Dude seriously!" Gar exclaimed, smiling. He laughed. "Sweet! We can make smores!"

"And tell ghost stories!"

"Go skinny dipping!"

"Gross grass stain."

"I was kidding! I didn't mean it!"

"Whatever. You know, since we're going camping we need to discuss the food situation. We need to stock up on all the junk."

"Cheetos are a must."

The two continued to plan and all Raven could do was watch. Farewell vacation for two.

TT

After picking up her report card Kitten had went straight home. There was nothing for her to do. She didn't have any friends to hang out with or any boyfriend to cuddle with. Going home really was her only option. At least there she could boss the maid around.

When she entered her home her first destination was the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen she was surprised to see both of her parents sitting at the table. Her brow raised. This was the first time in months she had seen her father come home early while the sun was still out.

Curiosity seized her. "What are you doing home?"

He patted the empty chair besides him. "We need to have a talk. Sit."

She ignored him and instead went to the fridge to pull out a bottle of water. "Can't. I have plans."

A lie but they didn't need to know that.

"Kitten. Sit. Now," commanded her mother more sternly.

The young girl sighed. She could refuse her father but it was a lot more difficult to say no to her mother. "_Fineee._"

She took the seat furthest from her parents and kicked her feet up. Might as well show off some defiance.

Her father's eye twitched, clearly disturbed. Did she not care about how much the table cost? Her father stomached the thought and cleared his throat. "Kitten, your mother and I have been doing a lot of thinking lately and we've decided that it's time we do something to help you and improve your behavior."

Her mother continued. "We want you to go to therapy."

"What?" Kitten's jaw dropped, as well as her feet from the table. _Therapy_, she thought. _They can't be serious. _It had to be a joke. She wasn't some lunatic, she didn't need therapy. She glared at them. "I am _not _going to therapy."

"You have to, dear. It's for the best. You need someone to talk to and that someone clearly isn't us."

"But, mom-"

"Listen to your mother, Kitten."

Kitten huffed and stood up. "Fine! Whatever. Can I like go now?"

"There's one more thing we've decided on."

She rolled her eyes. "And what's that?"

"You won't be attending Jump City High School next year."

TT

When Toni had said they had an appointment, Alain didn't know she meant a bridal appointment. The bubbly girl had happily dragged him off to a bridal dress shop so she could try on dresses. When asked why Toni had given him a look that said he was an idiot and tapped the engagement ring on her finger.

And here he was now, twitching in his seat as he sat on a pink cushioned chair and waited for Toni to come out of the dressing room with her bridal consultant. He couldn't help but feel nervous. For some reason he found this bridal shop to be quite intimidating.

Toni appeared suddenly, a woman in black following her. Alain took one look at her and his eyes widened. Toni smiled and stepped on a small platform, twirling 360 degrees.

"What do you think?" she asked, striking a pose.

There was a pause. Then Alain exploded into laughter.

Toni's mood deflated, then she stomped her foot in anger. It was only the first dress and already a bad start. "What's so funny?"

He pointed. "That dress! You look like a cupcake!"

The consultant cleared her throat. "This first dress is a ballgown and it's-"

"Ugly," he quipped.

"Alain!" Toni snapped. She turned to the consultant. "I'm sorry. My fiance is an idiot."

"Hey!"

"I'm going to call you an idiot when you act like an idiot."

"I'm sorry, it's just... I don't see the point of all of _this_," he said as he stood up and touched the large skirt of the dress.

"I thought it would make me look like a princess."

"No, that's not what I meant. Toni, I know we're engaged now officially, but isn't it too soon to be looking at dresses?"

"On the contrary, most women order their dress a year in advance before the wedding," revealed the consultant.

"Oh, I didn't know that," Alain admitted sheepishly.

"Maybe if you bothered to watch a show or two... Or maybe even pink up a book," Toni scolded.

"Well I didn't realize we would start planning right away-"

"So you haven't given the wedding any thought at all?"

"Not exactly..."

"Alain!"

"I'm sorry!"

Toni sighed, clearing away her frustration. They had only just began, this was no time to have a meltdown. And besides, she couldn't be mad at him. Maybe she had rushed things a little bit. She couldn't get mad at him for not being prepared, afterall they hadn't really spoken much about the wedding itself. "Okay. We'll take things slow, that cool with you love?"

He smiled in gratitude and nodded.

She smiled at him. "Okay, first step. My dress. Any suggestions?"

There was a pause.

"No ballgowns."

She agreed with him on that one. She hated to admit it but ballgown dresses really did make her look like a cupcake.

TT

Babs threw her bag on the kitchen table and wrapped her arms around her father's neck, giving him a kiss on his cheek. "Hello, daddy."

"Hello, pumpkin," he looked at her eagerly. "Where's the report card?"

She rolled her eyes with a smile and reached for her purse. She handed him her report card.

He unfolded the document and after a pause he spoke. "Good... really good," he chuckled. "Jump City High School must be a perfect fit for you with grades like these."

Babs sat down and reached for the fruit bowl. She took out an apple and rolled it in her hands, deep in throught. Her father had no idea how wrong he was. Jump City High School was not a perfect fit. Not for her.

After having her diary passed around, specifically the pages that revealed her true intentions to steal Dick away from Kori, she had been shunned. Even though she had a change of heart and apologized that didn't matter. Especially not to Dick after Kori had fallen down the stairs.

She had visited Kori when she was in the hospital, or rather she had attempted to visit her. She had just wanted to see if she was okay. Afterall she felt somewhat responsible for Kori's fall and wanted to make amends. She had just approached the room Kori was in when Dick came out. He walked up to her, demanding to know why she was there. Babs explained herself, revealing her good intentions, but Dick brushed that off. He told her to leave and never speak to them, or the others, again. And that's what she did. It wouldn't have mattered if she tried, she knew the others hated her too. What she had done to Kori was unforgivable.

"Are you looking forward to next year? You must be excited that you're going to be a senior."

"Actually, dad... I've thought about this a lot and... I don't want to go to Jump City High School next year," she looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please, let me transfer to another school."

TT

Jenn sat with her legs crossed in the grass, her eyes watching Wally as he ran up and down the path. The pair had retreated to the park. Wally wanted to go running. He was training himself to be the best track and field runner Jump City High School had ever seen, it was his goal, and if he accomplished it there could be a scholarship waiting for him at the end of the road.

Jenn leaned back on her hands. She just couldn't understand it. Why the need to train? It was just running. What was so hard about that? She had expressed this same question to Wally earlier who answered her by saying "It's not just running. It's an artform." Then he took off and she had planted herself in the grass.

Wally jogged up to her, sweating bullets. "Hello beautiful. Miss me?"

"Not at all," she teased. "Need a drink? There's a guy over there selling water for a buck."

"Sure," he answered as he reached into his pocket for his wallet.

"It'sony me twinkle toes," Jenn said as she sat up and walked away.

She was gone for about two minutes, maybe three, but in the short amount of time she was gone Wally had planted himself in the grass and taken off his shirt. Two girls watched from afar and were giggling.

"He is _so _hot," said the taller girl.

"He is. Did you see him running?" her companion asked. "Very sexy."

"I just love the ass on him. Think he'll let me pinch it?"

"Go for it! You two would make the cutest little couple."

"Touch him and I'll beat you until you need plastic surgery."

The two girls turned around and cringed with fear at the glare Jenn was giving them.

"That's _my_ boyfriend."

The tall girl swallowed her fear and stood up straight. "Yeah right. As if a guy that hot would go for some emo freak."

Jenn chuckled. "I see, you need proof right?"

Before she could answer Jenn pushed past her and was walking towards Wally.

He looked up at her and smiled. "Awesome. I didn't realize how thirsty-"

She dropped the water bottles on the ground and jumped him. Her mouth attached to his and her weight planted him on his back. For a moment Wally was dumbfounded, but the feel of Jenn's tongue probbing his mouth cured him of that and he immediately responded and his hands snaked around her back. His hands drifted lower to rest on her rump and he gave her a squeeze. That was Jenn's cue to back off and she stood up, leaving Wally once again dumbfounded on his back,

She smirked at the two girls, loving how their eyes were wide and jaws dropped. For show she placed her hand inbetween Wally's legs. "This is mines so go get your own!"

The girls flushed and scurried off. Once they were out of sight Jenn looked down at a blushing Wally.

"Um... not that I'm complaining, but what was that about?" he squeaked.

She shrugged innocently and grinned. "Just marking my territory."

TT

Elsewhere in the park was Kori and Dick. A blanket was spread out underneath them and they resided under the shade of a tree. Dick laid on his back, his bare feet the only part of him not on the blanket, and Kori was cuddled into his side with her head resting on his chest. He had one arm tucked over her, his hand lazily playing with her hair. His other hand rested on his stomach and was locked with Kori's.

It had been Dick's idea to come to the park. He wanted to get in as much alone time as possible with Kori before her party started. His hand left her hair and patted the blanket for either one of their cell phones (which they had both put on silent so they wouldn't be interrupted). He successfully grabbed one, purple he noted-meaning it was Kori's cell, and looked at the time. Dick frowned slightly. Pretty soon they would have to leave to go to the party.

A sigh escaped his lips and he returned his hand to her long red hair. He wished they could just stay like this forever. He wished Kori didn't have to get on a plane tomorrow and fly to New York. He wished he had more time with her... Summer had just began and he was already wishing it was over.

"Dick," murmured Kori.

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Kori."

TT

It had taken a lot of begging but Dick had recieved permission from Kori's parents to be the one to drop her off at the airport. He wanted to do this, even though he knew it would hurt to see her go. Any extra second he could spend with Kori was worth any pain that would follow after.

They held hands the entire time and as they got closer to the point where they would have to separate Dick's hold on her hand tightened. Finally, they had to stop. They had both reached the area where only Kori would be able to pass. Dick had to let her go now.

They turned to face each other and Dick took both of her hands and kissed them both once. Then, cupping her face he planted a kiss on both her cheeks and forehead. He even placed one on the top of her head before he reached her lips. Once their lips were sealed Kori wrapped her arms around his neck and Dick's hands moved to her waist. Their final kiss bordered on final make out session instead.

It took awhile for the two to become satisfied before pulling away from each other. Once that happened Dick handed Kori her carry-on bag. She took it from him and slung it over her shoulder.

"You'll call me when you get there?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course," she leaned up to place a kiss on his cheek and was pleased to see his red cheeks when she pulled away. She blinked back tears. "Good bye, Dick."

"Bye, Kori."

They hugged, then slowly they untangled from each other and Kori pulled away. Dick watched her for a moment before he ran up to her.

"Kori!"

She turned around, surprised. "Dick? What-"

"I just... I wanted you to have this," he said, handing her his trademark sunglasses. He smiled. "Good luck gift."

She shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes. "No, no, I can't. They're your favorite."

"I want you to have them," he said firmly, placing them on top of her head. "Now you can take me with you everywhere and think of me always."

She giggled and wiped her eyes. She smiled. "I love you."

"I love you more," he said, wrapping her in one final hug and kissing her one last time.

When it ended she slipped away from him, her hand briefly squeezing his before she turned and walked away. She looked back once and waved and Dick waved back. He waited until he couldn't see her anymore before he too walked away. He bit his lip, willing himself not to cry. The only thing preventing the tears from falling was the thought that come senior year he would be reunited with his girl.

TT

Alfred walked into the den holding a silver tray that was topped with a teapot and cup. He placed it on the table besides the chair Bruce sat in.

"Tea time, Master Bruce," the old butler announced as he filled a cup with tea. He handed it to the young man who placed what he was reading on the table besides him.

"Thank you, Alfred," he said gratefully.

Alfred bowed and turned on his heel, ready to return to his other duties, but accidently brushed against the thing Bruce had not fully placed on the table, knocking it to the floor. Bruce made an attempt to grab it but the butler got to it instead.

"Allow me, Master Bruce," Alfred said as his hand grabbed the fallen item. It was a pamplet. As he stood Alfred got an eyefull of what was on the pamplet. His eyes widened. "Master Bruce, what is the meaning of this?"

Bruce put his cup of tea back on the tray and went to the window. He folded his hands behind his back, his gaze looking outside. He caught sight of a plane in the sky.

"For Dick's senior year," began Bruce. "He will be attending boarding school."

TT

**SPECIAL THANKS TO chipmunkswillrule13, iBelieveInAngels, Agent of the Divine One, clarkLover1, longliveteentitans, StarReader86, Purple Sky Juliet, BerryDrops, Pineapple girl 1997, Magic kiwi, Daniella TT, koder AND Emily Snow21 FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! I CAN'T THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH FOR STAYING WITH THIS STORY ALL THE WAY TILL THE VERY END! THANK YOU! YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST! ALSO A SHOUT OUT TO EVERYONE WHO EVER READ THIS STORY AND REVIEWED IT! EVERYONE'S SUPPORT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME! I LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**(throws confetti) FINALLY! Hanging By A Moment is officially OVER! WE MADE IT TO THE LAST CHAPTER EVERYONE! WOOHOO!**

**Okay, some news: My next story will be a continuation of my Teen Titans Go series. That story is only going to be 13 chapters so after it's done I will be starting First Time which is the sequel to this story. **

**I have a lot of ideas for First Time and I can't wait to start that story! I hope you guys will be there to read it when it comes out. **

**Again, thank you all! We did it! We finally did it! **

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